Prior information notice of start of award procedures on 27.05.2010 for general safety upgrade and restoration of six road tunnels to RABT 2006 standard, value EUR26.5 million, commencing winter 2010 with Herkulestrasse, value EUR7.54 million. For further information contact Stadt Koeln, tel +49 221221-23647, fax –28715, e-mail zentrales-vergabeamt@stadt-koeln.de. For details of all tunnels involved in this project visit tunnelbuilder archive de/106. Visit http://ted.europa.eu/udl?request=Seek-Deliver&language=en&docid=062973-2010. 10/10...

Vicenzetto Srl of Villa Estense have secured the EUR587,987 contract for test drilling and boring work in Brenner Base tunnel. Contact Johann Hager at BBT SE in Innsbruck, tel +43 5124030, fax +43 5124030-110, e-mail ava@bbt-se.com. Visit http://ted.europa.eu/udl?request=Seek-Deliver&language=en&docid=062301-2010 and www.vicenzetto.it. ..

The CPV consortium, formed by CSC SA (Lugano) and Pizzarotti SA (Bellinzona), signed the EUR43 million contract for the construction of Lot 854 at Vezia, the main lot of Ceneri Base Tunnel, including the south portal, 200 m of cut-and-cover tunnel, as well as drilling, blasting and lining both tunnels along a length of 300 m. Works at Vezia will continue until 2016. Commercial operation of the Ceneri Base Tunnel with scheduled train services is planned to start at the end of 2019. Of the total of 40.19 km of the Ceneri Base Tunnel, at the end of February 2010, 7,673 m, or 19.1%, had been ..

Imtech Austria Anlagentechnik GmbH of Linz have secured the contract for supply, installation and commissioning of ventilation equipment for the tunnel section of the Harter Plateau tramway line. For more, contact Ing. Harald Grogger at Managementservice Linz GmbH in Linz, tel +43 7323400-7982, fax -157982, e-mail h.grogger @ linzag.at. Visit http://ted.europa.eu/udl?request=Seek-Deliver&language=en&docid=059736-2010. 10/10...

Rete Ferroviaria Italiana SpA is inviting companies to prequalify for civil engineering work on railway tunnels in Italy. Further information and documents from Iacomino Raffaele at Gruppo Ferrovie dello Stato in Milan, tel +39 02637 148-19, fax –20, e-mail dns-qs@rfi.it to whom requests to participate should be sent. Visit

Pre-feasibility study being undertaken by ILF Consulting Engineers for construction of single track railway line along the Karakorum highway between the end of the existing railway network in the south at Havelian and the border between Pakistan and China near the famous Khunjrab Pass in the north.

Prequalification underway by MTR for tender reference no 703 for West Island Line SHW to SYP tunnels value EUR30 million with a view to selective invitations to tender being issued in 4Q/2008 for contract award in 3Q/2009. Expressions of interest to Malcolm O’Neill, tel 3921 3383, e-mail moneill@mtr.com.hk Visit www.mtr.com.hk/eng/tenders/new_projects.html 45/08.

IMET (Perugia) scooped a 9.241.506,20 Euro contract, for upgrading of the lighting, ventilation and safety equipment in five tunnels on the Genoa-Sestri Levante highway A12 in Genoa province: Monte Castelletti (1,328 m / 1,342 m), Giovanni Maggio (1,792 m / 1,804 m), La Maddalena (2 x 1,451 m), L'Anchetta (1,421 m / 1,458 m) and Santa Giulia (1,170 m / 1,188 m). Visit www.imetspa.it 45/08.

Consoter (Me) scooped a 478,000 Euro contract for hydraulic and bench maintenance in five tunnels on the Bologna-Bari-Taranto highway A14: San Basso (Taranto-bound tube, 846 m), Castello di Cupramarittima (1.022 m / 1.130 m), Acquarossa (415 m/435 m). Visit www.consoter.it. 45/08

Contracts have been awarded by national roads administration Statens Vegvesen for restoration of the 20 year-old 3.52 km-long Ellingsoy and 4.22 km-long Valderoy road tunnels on national road Rv 658 as follows: supply of 40 booster fans, EUR485,000, Bemel Norge AS; construction by night of 15 niches and installation of new water protection and technical equipment, EUR23 million

EU official announcement of award of contracts 118 and 119 by Metropolitan for construction of 6.4 km-long metro line 2 with seven stations. Dogus Insaat will build 3.8 km with four stations, value EUR168 million excluding VAT, and Metro Trace will build 2.6 km with three stations, value EUR72 million excluding VAT. Contact dogusinsaat@dogusinsaat.com.tr tel +90 2123 353434 and tracegroup@tracebg.com tel +359 2 965 7940. 44/08.

Construction of lot 2 on SS 12 bypass, part of the Ora ring road which includes the 1.8 km-long San Daniele two-lane bi-directional tunnel, awarded to PAC in association with CSCAA, value EUR22.75 million excluding VAT. Contact PAC, tel +39 03 6433 1037, e-mail info@pacspa.it 44/08.

A CHF54.1 million contract has been awarded to a consortium of Infra Tunnel and Spie Batignolles to build the Serrières tunnel. Construction will start this winter and conclude in end-2012. Click ch/60. Visit www.infratunnel.ch, www.spiebatignolles.fr 41/08.

Banverket, the Swedish rail administration, has awarded Bergab a SEK6.1 million contract to act as chief manager for the 7.6 km Hede-Älvängen railway section on the line from Göteborg to Trollhättan (75 km) and to Norway, a project named the Väner rail line, which includes the 1.8 km Kattleberg twin track tunnel. Banverket Projektering will be the deputy chief manager for SEK5.8 million. The Vänern rail route to Norway is being expanded to a two-track railway dimensioned for speeds of up to 250 km/h. The entire route from Göteborg to Trollhättan will be completed by 2012. Visit www.bergab.se and www.banverket.se/sv/Banverket-projektering.aspx 41/08.

The communication and transport ministry (SCT) awarded this summer three contracts worth a total of MXP8.22 billion to complete the final section of the Durango-Mazatlán highway. The first contract was awarded to a consortium led by Mexican construction firm Omega Corp. with a price tag of MXP3.97 billion.

The Department of public works and asset management of the City of Edmonton placed an order with Lovat for the purchase of a new MP159SE series 25500 TBM, 4.03 m in diameter, equipped with Lovat ripper teeth, scraper teeth and a four-spoke cutting head design for soft ground excavation.

The consortium formed by FCC, ACS, Copisa and Tecsa has been awarded a EUR206 million contract to build the high speed rail tunnel that will cross Madrid between the Atocha and Chamartin stations. The tunnel will be 7.3 km in length, 6.9 km of which will be underground. The route starts at Méndez Álvaro and then crosses Carlos V roundabout, reaching the Alfonso XII street. The contract also includes the modernisation of the railway yard south of Chamartin station to enable the arrival of high speed trains to the station through the tunnel. The project will be jointly financed by the European cohesion fund, to a rate of 80%, as part of the European regional development fund 2007-2013. Visit www.fcc.es, www.dragados.com, www.copisa.com and www.tecsa.es 40/08.

A consortium of FCC and Acciona has scooped a EUR134.9 million contract to extend Line 2 of the Madrid metro. The consortium will build 4.5 new kilometres of tracks to link La Elipa with the Las Rosas neighbourhood. The time frame to complete the works is 27 months. The project will add four new stations (Nicolas Salmerón, Alsacia, Guadalajara and Ginebra).

Sweco has been contracted to act as the owner’s engineer on behalf of Theun Hinboun Power Corporation (THPC) during the implementation of the Theun Hinboun expansion project. The contract, worth pver EUR5 million, includes design review, contract management and construction supervision.

Länsimetro, which is owned jointly by the cities of Helsinki and Espoo, has awarded Sweco a project management contract, worth close to EUR10 million, in connection with the western extension of Helsinki’s sole metro line that will link Helsinki and Espoo. The project is the largest infrastructure initiative of all time in Finland, with an estimated price tag of around EUR700 million. The western metro extension consists of a 13.5 km subway section with a total of eight stations (Lauttasaari, Koivusaari, Keilaniemi, Otaniemi, Tapiola, Niittymaa, provision made for a later station in Niittykumpu and Matinkylä), starting from the present end of the line in Ruoholahti. The extension will be completely underground. One of the biggest challenges will be to plan the extensive construction activities and material transports to avoid disruption to local residents or existing traffic flows during the building phase. The line extension is scheduled for completion at the end of 2013. Visit www.sweco.se and www.lansimetro.fi 40/08.

Salzburg Energie Verkher und Telecommunikation secured a EUR570,000 contract for medium voltage installation in the 3,580 m Henndorf bypass tunnel near Salzburg. Visit www.salzburg-ag.at 40/08.

Jacobs Engineering Group received a contract from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) to provide construction management services for the Bay tunnel project in California. The project will construct 7,991 metres of 2.75 m finished diameter soft ground tunnel below the San Francisco Bay between the East Palo Alto area on the west side of the Bay and the City of Newark on the east side of it, two vertical shafts in areas adjacent to the Bay, and a watertight final lining of welded steel pipe.