This week saw the opening of tunnelbuilder file it/200, a landmark indicating that Italy has started more projects than any other country over the last fifteen years. During the same period, we reported 187 large projects in Norway and 171 in Spain. Bearing in mind that tunnelbuilder tends to report projects over 1 km in length and 2 m in diameter, that is a lot of digging!

It must be noted that, while some countries have racked up huge numbers of projects, others have just got on with huge projects. Hence, our largest files cover megaprojects such as Switzerland’s Gotthard, the Brenner base tunnel between Austria and Italy, and Spain’s high-speed rail system.

Likewise, the figures do not elaborate the complexities: hydro tunnels in Colombia and Bhutan may be more difficult to drive than many urban metros, and drill/blast in Norwegian granite slower and more arduous than mechanical boring in London clay. However, the statistics do underline the fact that the international tunnelling industry is in better shape than it has ever been, and shows no signs of slowing. We’ll drink to that! Cheers! 11/13.