Taiwan High Speed Rail Consortium commissioned to design, build and operate 340 km line with 35 tunnels from 200 m to 7.2 km long totalling some 50 km. Nine intermediate stations planned at Sungshan, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Taichung, Changhwa, Yunlin, Chiayi and Tainan. Bid value $11.77 bn for start 1998 and completion mid-2003. Possibly the largest BOT contract in the world. Work will be split into 8 to 14 contracts for which pre-qualification is necessary. Design consultant PB International. Technical consultant Mott MacDonald. April 1998.   Mott MacDonald appointed to monitor and audit design, cnstruction and commissioning of $16 billion, 350 km/h railway system, leading the International Railway Engineering Group in jv with Electrowatt Engineering, DE-Consult and Systra. Project will reduce time between centres to 90 minutes and will now enter service 2005. Passes through west coast corridor where 95 % of the population lives and works. Visit www.mottmac.com for more. December 1999. Continental Engineering Corporation/Bilfinger & Berger has been awarded two adjoining contracts in central section of 345 km-long line. C260 contract is for 36.6 km and includes a 7.3 km-long tunnel at Paghuashan with Changhua station. C270 is for 42.8 km mainly cut-and-cover and on viaduct with Yunlin station. Visit www.bub.de May 2000.Obayashi Corporation reports a start on 53 km section from Panchiao to Hsinchu via Taoyuan which includes a 6.5 km tunnel. June 2000. Obayashi-Futsu underway on contract C210 comprising 6.2 km-long x 14 m-diameter Linkou NATM tunnel in sand/gravel alluvium, plus 400 m cut and cover, two portals, two intermediate shafts, 2.6 km-long viaduct and bridge. Also, 1.9 km-long x 14 m-diameter Hueilung drill/blast NATM tunnel in gas-bearing shales/mudstone with one portal. Visit www.ofjvc210.com.tw 25/01.Obayashi-Futsu reports good progress in poor ground on contract C215 comprising 4.2 km-long x 14 m-diameter Hukou NATM tunnel in sand/gravel alluvium, plus 1.2 km cut and cover, two portals, two intermediate adits, 29.3 km-long viaduct and bridge. Also three Taoyuan 14 m-diameter NATM tunnels totalling 2.4 km with three portals. Visit www.ofjvc210.com.tw 27/01.