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.

NCC Construction has been commissioned to construct the Hyllie, Triangeln and Malmö C Nedre stations from client Citytunneln. The contract is worth approximately SEK450 million. The assignment comprises interior and supplementary structural works at the Triangeln and Hyllie stations and the Malmö C Nedre underground station. Of the three stations, Hyllie is the only one to be above ground. The works on the stations will commence during the first half of 2008. Read E-News Weekly 35/2007 & 22/2005. Visit www.ncc.info and www.citytunneln.com 50-51/07.

Concer & Partners signed a EUR2.4 million deal for on-site supervision and work management during construction of the 10.4 km pilot bore from Naz-Sciaves to chainage 10+400 in Bolzano province, the 1.8 km Mules access adit, a 400 m connecting tunnel between Aica and Riga valley, and preparation and management of excavated materials. Visit www.concerepartners.it 50-51/07.

Singapore Technologies Engineering (ST Engineering) announced that its electronics arm, Singapore Technologies Electronics (ST Electronics), has won a contract worth about SGD36 million from Marubeni for Taipei's Songshan and Xinyi mass rapid transit (MRT) lines. ST Electronics will design, supply, install and commission the MRT's communications system and the train-borne communications system for the two lines. The new communications system for the two new lines will be integrated into the existing systems of the Red/Green line network at the existing Operation Control Center (OCC). These state-of-the-art systems will facilitate an efficient, reliable and safe mode of transportation in Taipei city. ST Electronics will begin work on the 6.4 km Xinyi line with its six underground stations and the 8.5 km Songshan line with eight underground stations, in the first quarter of 2008. Completion is expected to be in 2012 and 2013 respectively. Visit www.stee.stengg.com or www.stengg.com and www.marubeni.com 50-51/07.

FCC, Construcciones Olabarri, Guihor Estructuras de Hormigón, and Construcciones Donosti scooped a EUR50.5 million contract to construct the 2,859 m Ordizia-Itsasondo section in Gipuzkoa province. This section includes a 2.8 km tunnel (98% of the route). Time frame for construction is 27 months. Visit www.fcc.es, www.olabarri.com and www.codosa.com 50-51/07.

Getinsa scooped a EUR2.4 million contract for site supervision for the 4.7 km Aranjuez-Ontigola section, including a 2,437 m-long 85.7 sq m cross-sectional tunnel in El Regajal. Visit www.getinsa.es 50-51/07.

Four Japanese companies prequalified for Malaysia's MYR8.9 billion water project between Pahang and Selangor states. There were eight bidders for the 44.6 km water transfer tunnel part of the project, which will eventually cost about MYR3 billion. The prequalification was undertaken by consultants from the ministry for energy, water and communications and project financier, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).

Concer & Partners signed a EUR2.4 million deal for on-site supervision and work management during construction of the 10.4 km pilot bore from Naz-Sciaves to chainage 10+400 in Bolzano province, the 1.8 km Mules access adit, a 400 m connecting tunnel between Aica and Riga valley, and preparation and management of excavated materials. Visit www.concerepartners.it 50-51/07.

Impregilo is leading a consortium of companies including Pedemontana Veneta, Autostrada Brescia-Padova, Autostrade per l'Italia, Autovie Venete, Grandi Lavori Fincosit, Costruzioni Maltauro, Rizzani de Eccher, Carron, Consorzio Cooperative Costruzioni (CCC), Mantovani, Intercantieri Vittadello and Serenissima Costruzioni, who has been awarded the concession contract for the design, construction and operation of the Pedemontana highway.

In August 2007, the Bulgarian ministry of transport awarded Iberinsa and ILF the design services for the modernization of the approx. 270 km railway line from Vidin to Sofia. The entire section comprises numerous bridges, tunnels, stations and other constructions. The main objective is to upgrade the respective railway line in compliance with the requirements of European transport corridor IV, to eliminate current restrictions in order to meet European standards. The project comprises the elaboration of a technical and financial feasibility study, the conceptual design and the preparation of a tendering strategy. Visit www.iberinsa.es and www.ilf.com 50-51/07.

The prequalification phase for construction of the 6.5 km section of the Sofia subway connecting Nadezhda borough with Cherni Vrah boulevard ended on 3rd September. The second phase started on 5th December and the contract is to be concluded in February 2008. The building works are to start in 2008 and to be complete in 45 months. The route will have a total of seven underground stations, stretching from Nadezhda borough down southeast to the central railway station, Tzum department store, the National Palace of Culture to Cherni Vrah boulevard.

The international consortium Gaama (standing for Groupement algéro-allemand de métro d'Alger) formed by Dywidag of Germany and Algeria's Cosider TP, with Italian subcontractor Trevi, has won the international bid for the 2.8 km extension of Line 1 of the subway in Algiers

Systra signed two contracts worth EUR36 million with the Hanoi Metropolitan Rail Transport Project Board (HRB) for Hanoi’s first metro line, estimated at EUR500 million. Lead consultant, Systra will be responsible for the design studies, preparation of the tender documents, bid assessment, supervision of construction and rolling stock production and assistance to the commissioning and operation. Systra already carried out the feasibility and planning studies. Tenders for construction are expected to be invited in 2008 for opening in October 2010 for the city’s millenium. Line 1, for which Systra already undertook the feasibility and planning studies, stretches for 12.5 km going from Nhon (depot and workshop) to the railway station. There is a 2.9 km underground section in the city centre, planned to be built using the cut-and-cover method (5 to 8 m high), with four underground stations. Read E-News Weekly 7/2007. Visit www.systra.com 49/07.

After being named preferred bidder a few months ago, Bouygues Construction has signed the contract worth more than EUR500 million to build and operate the new Tyne crossing under-river tunnels in Newcastle. A concession operator named TT2 and made up of Bouygues Travaux Publics, a subsidiary of Bouygues Construction, HSBC Infrastructure Fund II and Bank of Scotland Corporate was selected to carry out the work, which is expected to take four years, followed by the operation of the tunnels. The contract includes the design and construction of a new tunnel, the renovation of the existing tunnel, financing and the operation of the whole system for 30 years (including the duration of the works). Visit www.newtynecrossing.info and www.bouygues-construction.com Motorway A19 that links Newcastle’s north and south is a dual two-lane carriageway that narrows to one single lane in each direction in the tunnel. This bottleneck causes important disruptions. The new tunnel, which will duplicate the existing tunnel link, is 1,600 m long, whereof 360 m under the Tyne. For its crossing of the river, the tunnel will consist of 90 m-long precast concrete caissons. Bouygues proposed the TIMBY (standing for Tunnel IMmergé BouYgues) process developed by its engineers Pierre Longchamp, Philippe Autuori and Patrick Palbras in conjunction with Herrenknecht but the caissons will be built in the classical manner in a dry yard. Click here. The TIMBY concept has received in January this year the first innovation prize from the French federation for public works (FNTP). Visit www.fntp.fr/actualite/dp/DPinnovation26012007.pdf Tyne & Wear Passenger Transport Authority (TWPTA) is to provide a subsidy of EUR160 million, HSBC Infrastructure Fund II, Bank of Scotland Corporate, and Bouygues Travaux Publics will provide EUR54 million in capital, and TT2 has contracted a EUR290 million senior debt loan from banks HSBC, Bank of Scotland Corporate and Natixis. Construction of the new tunnel, worth EUR355 million euros, will start first. When finished, all traffic will be diverted through the new tunnel while the existing tunnel is renovated and upgraded to current safety standards. Work is slated to commence in March 2008 for opening of the new tunnel and the renovated existing tunnel in December 2011. 49/07.

A consortium of Implenia, Wayss & Freytag, Bilfinger Berger and PraderLosinger will build the Weinberg tunnel as well as the underground pathway of the existing station’s southern part. Access shafts are also part of the contract, worth CHF350 million. The 4.5 km single bored dual-track Weinberg tunnel will feature a 9.74 m inner diameter and a 10.94 m outer diameter. Other underground structures include a 22 m-diameter 34 m-deep temporary access shaft and a new underpass in the southern part of the railway station. The geology is molasse (marls and sands). The tunnel will be driven using a mixshield TBM and lined by 30 cm-thick precast concrete segments and 30 cm-thick cast-in-place concrete. A conveyor belt is envisaged to evacuate the spoil. Tunnelling is scheduled to commence in September 2008 for breakthrough in 2010. Visit www.implenia.com, www.wf-ingbau.de, www.bilfingerberger.de and www.praderlosinger.ch 49/07. The new Löwenstrasse station will be built by a Marti-led consortium. The station will be 500 m long, whereof 420 metres for the platforms, its inner height will be five metres and its outer height 11 metres. Its width is variable (up to 45 metres). Click here. Visit www.martiag.ch 49/07.

A joint venture of Lauro, Cogeis, Studio Corona and Arch. Francesco Guerra landed a EUR27.6 million contract to complete the Omegna bypass. The project includes two tunnels, 850 m and 1.7 km in length. Visit www.laurospa.it, www.cogeis.it and www.coronasic.it 49/07.