The construction contract for the EUR133 million Lai Chi Kok Transfer Scheme, advertised at tunnelbuilder.com earlier this year, has been awarded to Leighton Asia. The project includes two 4.9 m-diameter storm water drainage tunnels with total length of 3.7 km between West Kowloon reclamation and Lai Chi Kok and Sham Shui Po districts, six intake shafts, a stilling basin, an outfall adit into Victoria Harbour, and 270 m of 3 m-diameter connection adits. Work starts immediately for completion in 2012. More from Quinnie Lee, tel +852 2823 1427, e-mail quinnie.lee@leightonasia.com 47/08..

Contract valued EUR414,000 awarded by Norwegian Railway Infrastructure Administration to Norconsult AS of Sandvika to provide technical and detailed plans of tunnels for the joint project E6 road and Dovrebanen, lot Minnesund-Kleverud, which includes one twin-tube 0.6 km-long road tunnel and 3.1 km of single railway tunnel over a 17 km-long alignment in Eidsvoll and Stange municipalities. ..

Contract for telecommunications installations for 6.5 km section of new double railway track in Baerum municipality for Lysaker-Sandvika, of which 5.5 km in tunnel, awarded by Jernbaneverket to T Connect AS of Manglerud, Oslo. http://ted.europa.eu/udl?request=Seek-Deliver&language=en&docid=292852-2008 More from Olaf Bjerknes, tel +47 9943 4144, e-mail olbj@jbv.no 46/08. ..

Bemel Norge AS of Majorstuen, Oslo has been awarded the contract to supply ventilation fans to the 5.37 km-long Atlantic Ocean tunnel between Kristiansund and Bremnes on National Road 64 in the value EUR555,000...

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.

Prior information notice for construction works, value EUR24.86 million, for a undergroung cut-and-cover tunnel from Pabellon Moises Ruiz to Plaza de Barcelona, 1,1 km, with 0.8 m-thick base, 1.0 m-thick walls and 1.0 m-thick roof, on Carretera de Ronda, in Almeria. The works will include intermodal station.

The Noriant consortium formed by VINCI, as lead company, through VINCI Concessions (35%) and CFE and its subsidiaries, Aanneming Van Wellen and Dredging International (14%), in association with Besix (25%), Cordeel ZT (11%), Fabricom GTI (10%) and Victor Buyck Steel Construction (5%), has been declared preferred bidder for the concession to operate the Oosterweelverbinding by BAM (Beheersmaatschappij Antwerpen Mobiel),

Scetauroute and Jean Muller International (JMI) received a EUR22 million contract for studies and construction supervision for the Violay, Bussiere and Chalosset tunnels on section Balbigny - La Tour-de-Salvagny on highway A89. Click fr/45. Visit www.scetauroute.fr and www.jmi.groupegis.com 31-32/06.

Sandvik will supply Balfour Beatty with three DT820-AC twin boom tunnelling jumbos for the 2 x 1.9 km Hindhead tunnel project, which will complete the dual carriageway link between London and Portsmouth, in the west. Click here. Visit www.sandvik.com 52/07-01/08.

A consortium of Cengiz, IC Ictas and Belen consortium will build 39 bored tunnels totalling 39.1 kilometres and three cut-and-cover tunnels, with a total length of 1,550 metres, on the 158 km second stage of the 533 km high speed railway between Ankara and Istanbul. The bored tunnels will be drilled and blasted. The consortium of builders ordered from Atlas Copco 13 L2D underground drill rigs and two D7 surface crawler rigs. The longest tunnel spans 4,960 metres. Click here. Visit www.cengizgroup.com.tr, www.ictas.com.tr, www.belen.com.tr and www.atlascopco.com 52/07-01/08.

Construction of the 15 km railway line that will link Móstoles and Navalcarnero has been commissioned to OHL for EUR362.3 million and a time frame of 30 months. The Móstoles-Navalcarnero line will run underground on 46% of its alignment and will serve seven stations: four in Móstoles, one in Arroyomolinos and the last two in Navalcarnero. OHL will operate the line for 20 years. Visit www.ohl.es and www.ohlconcesiones.com 52/07-01/08.

The Las Pedrizas toll highway AP-46 is intended to solve the saturated traffic situation on the main northern access to Malaga. The project has made a significant step forward further to the Ministry of development's decision to aprove 99% of the alignment presented by the concessionaire appointed for the construction and operation of the écheme. The concessionaire includes Itinere (70%), Sacyr (10%), respectively the infrastructure concession company and the construction firm of Sacyr Vallehermoso, and GEA 21 (20%).

Idom Internacional bagged a EUR2.4 million contract for site supervision and work inspection during construction of the east bypass railway for freight trains in Valladolid on the Madrid-Valladolid high speed line. The 17.5 km line includes a 2 km cut-and-cover tunnel. Visit www.idom.es 52/07-01/08.

Metro Warszawskie, the Warsaw metro company, selected a joint venture of Metroprojekt and Andrzej M. Cho?dzynski (AMC), an architectural office, for the conceptual design of the central section of Warsaw's second metro line from Daszynski roundabout to Wilenski railway station. This 6 km section includes a crossing of the Vistule river. More in E-News Weekly 50/2007. Visit www.metro.waw.pl, www.metroprojekt.pl and www.amcholdzynski.pl 52/07-01/08.

Pakistan's federal government approved the 969 MW Neelum-Jhelum hydropower project at a cost of PKR128.4 billion in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. The project will be built by a consortium consisting of China Gezhouba Group Corp. (CGGC) and CMEC China. The Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) had already approved award of the contract to the CGGC-CMEC joint venture in March 2007 at the contract price of PKR90.9 billion.

National Thermal Power Corp (NTPC) has awarded Patel Engineering the construction contract for key civil works on the 520 MW Tapovan Vishnugad hydropower project. The value of the contract is INR4.3 billion, and the contract period is 48 months. The scope of the work includes construction of the surge shaft, pressure shaft, penstock, tailrace tunnel, switchyards and the power house. The plant will house four 130 MW units. The headrace tunnel was awarded last year to Larsen & Toubro and Alpine Mayreder. Click in/35. Visit www.patelengineering.com 52/07-01/08.

Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) has bagged a INR2.97 billion contract in joint venture with Alpine Mayreder from the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). HCC has a 49% share of the value (INR1.45 billion). The contract covers the design and construction of a 2.6 km-long NATM tunnel between Talkatora Garden and Budha Jayanti Park stations, with a finished internal diameter of minimum 10 m for twin track railway, including access and ventilation shaft. It also includes external and temporary works for the metro rail transmission system link between Talkatora Garden and Budha Jayanti Park. This project is part of the Airport Metro Express Line and it has to be completed by 15th July, 2010. In September 2007, HCC in joint venture with Alpine Mayreder and Samsung Corporation had received a design and construction contract of two stations and a tunnel between New Delhi and Talkatora Garden stations. Click in/11. Visit www.hccindia.com and www.alpine.at 52/07-01/08.

Mecsek Autopalya, a consortium led by Strabag, scooped a HUF266.1 billion (EUR1,048 million) contract in a tender to build and operate a new section of motorway M6. Other members of the consortium are French firms Bouygues Travaux Publics and Colas, as well as John Laing Infrastructure of the UK and Hungary's Intertoll Europe. Strabag's share amounts to EUR460 million. The tender refers to a total 78 km motorway section, including the section of the M6 northsouth-bound motorway between Szekszard and Boly, as well as the M60 motorway branching off from Boly to connect with the city of Pecs. The contract value includes the building, financing, maintenance and operation of the motorway for a 30-year period, with the project to take the form of a public-private partnership (PPP). Work on the motorway is expected to start before the end of the year, with completion scheduled for the spring of 2010. The M6 motorway currently runs from Budapest to Dunaujvaros. It is part of the trans-European corridor Vc that links Budapest to Sarajevo. The section includes four tunnels (1,331 m, 399 m, 865 m and 418 m). Construction officially started in November for completion in spring 2010. Visit www.strabag.com, www.bouygues-construction.com, www.laing.com and www.intertoll.eu 52/07-01/08.

Duerr scooped a EUR5.3 million contract to supply and install the E&M equipment in the 1,080 m-long Leutenbach tunnel. Visit www.duerr-gruppe.de 52/07-01/08.

The Drainage Services Department has awarded on 4th December, 2007 the construction of the 5 km Tsuen Wan drainage tunnel in Kowloon to a group of companies formed by Maeda Corporation, China Railway Engineering Corporation (CREC) and SELI. The commencement date of the works of the contract will be on 28th December, 2007. The main tunnel is 5.13 km long and 6.5 m internal diameter and there will also be two adits, 45 m and 19 m in length and 4.6 m and 5.5 m internal diameter respectively, three intake structures and two intakes with drop shafts. The diameter of the shafts is 5 m and 5.5 m respectively. The tunnel will be driven mainly in hard rock by a TBM. Visit www.maeda.co.jp/english/outline_e.html, www.crecg.com and www.selitunnel.com or www.selitecnologie.com 52/07-01/08.

BGG Consult and ESW Consulting scooped a EUR241,400 contract for geology and soil mechanics for the west ring road A26 in Linz. The project begins at Bindermichl, then follows the west railway, runs in tunnel until the fourth Danube bridge, and continues, still in tunnel, on the opposite bank ending by a connection with the A7. Visit www.bgg.at and www.wruss.at 52/07-01/08.