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.

Acciona Infraestructuras concluded a EUR81.4 million deal with the Ministry of development to build the Valls-Montblanc bypass on the Tarragona-Montblanc motorway A-27. The 5.1 km section includes the Lilla tunnel, which consists of two bores of 1,565.50 m (left tube) and 1,567.41 m (right tube). Click es/89 for more details. Visit www.acciona-infraestructuras.es 31/08.

Ferrovial Agroman scooped a EUR82.1 million construction contract for the 8.6 km Rialiño-Padrón section on the Atlantic coast high speed line. This section includes the 1,460 m-long 85 sq m Bustelo tunnel. Visit www.ferrovial.es 31/08.

Belgian building company CFE and its partners Dura Vermeer and Haverkort Voormolen TBI Infra have won a contract from ProRail for the first phase of a project to build a rail tunnel in the Dutch city of Delft

The Ministry for environment, energy, sustainable development and land use planning announced that it had selected a preferred bidder to finance, build and manage the Charles de Gaulle (CDG) Express airport rail link. The chosen consortium of VINCI Concessions, VINCI SA, Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations (CDC), Axa Infrastructure Investissement and Keolis will now negotiate the concession agreement, which is expected to be signed at the beginning of 2009.

Turkish company Dogus has been selected to construct the section of Line 2 from Nadezhda Road junction via the central railway station to Patriarch Evtimiy Blvd. This 3.8 km section has four stations.

Cygsa secured a EUR565,100 safety and health coordination contract for Line 9 of the Barcelona metro related to subsection Bifurcación-Fira, in particular ground improvement; subsection Entry shaft in Motors Street-Zona Franca Zal (infrastructure, stations, workshops and rolling stock depot); subsection Zona Universitaria-Bifurcación (stations); Torrassa interchange station; subsection Bifurcación-Entry shaft in Motors Street and its stations; subsection Entry shaft in Motors Street-Zona Universitaria (complementary interior fit-out, tracks and catenaries as well as ground improvement measurements); and section Parc Logistic-Zona Universitaria (tunnel). Visit www.cygsa.com 30/08. Payma Cotas secured a EUR468,600 safety and health coordination contract for Line 9 of the Barcelona metro related to the infrastructure, stations and installations of several sections. Visit www.paymacotas.net 30/08.

Kvinnherad Elektro bagged a NOK10.8 million contract to equip the 2.3 km Fatla tunnel on road Rv 55 with electro-mechanical installations (lighting, ventilation, emergency telephones, radio communication, cables, etc.). 30/08.

Pöyry together with Hifab International and its Nepalese partner Multi Disciplinary Consultants has been awarded a consultancy contract by the Melamchi Water Supply Development Board, comprising design and construction supervision services for the headworks and a 26.3 km-long water diversion tunnel. Pöyry's share of the contract value is about EUR7 million. The tunnel will divert 170 million litres of water daily from the Melamchi river to the Kathmandu valley to ease chronic water shortages in that area. Construction of the water tunnel will start by beginning of 2009 and should be completed by 2013-14. Visit www.poyry.com, www.hifab.se, www.multinepal.com/mdc/home.php and www.melamchiwater.org 30/08.

A team of Systra, Geodata and Studio Quaranta scooped a EUR880,900 contract for the detailed design and safety coordination during design of the Lingotto-Bengasi section of Line 1 in Turin. This 1,880 m section will run in a TBM-built single bored tunnel, 7.70 m outer diameter and 6.60 m inner diameter. Click here. Visit www.systra.com, www.geodata.it and www.quaranta.to 30/08.

The Finnish rail administration RHK has made a procurement decision to order services for detail design of the tunnel part of the ring rail line (formerly a project known as Marja line) to the Helsinki Vantaa airport from a consortium of consultants led by Pöyry. The value of the services provided is estimated at about EUR10.6 million.

Jacobs Engineering Group announced that the Seattle Tunnel and Rail Team (START), a joint venture between Jacobs and CH2M Hill, has been selected to receive a construction management services contract from Sound Transit to extend light rail service to connect the region's three most densely populated urban centres in Washington state (downtown Seattle, Capitol Hill/First Hill and the University district).

The contract for the construction of the Ceneri base tunnel from the northern portal, in Camerino, has been awarded to the Matro sud consortium headed by Pizzarotti teaming up with En­nio Ferrari, LGV, Cossi Costruzioni and Rodio Geotechnik. The consortium presented an offer of CHF103 million for the main northern lot consisting of a tunnel that will emerge on the Vigana hill under highway A2 where a double portal for three tracks will be constructed (two tracks for the new Alptransit railroad and one for the Locarno-Lugano line). Construction is programmed to commence on 6th October, 2008.

FCC pocketed a EUR11.8 million contract to construct a water supply pipeline from Beas dam to El Conquero treatment plant in Huelva province. The project is divided in four sections. The second section is a 2,323 m tunnel. Visit www.fcc.es 29/08.

The Ministry of development has awarded a joint venture of FCC and Convensa the construction of the A Vacariza-Rialiño section, in La Coruña province, at a price of EUR91.4 million and a time frame for execution of 36 months. This 8 km section forms part of the Atlantic coast line that goes from Ferrol to the border with Portugal. Of particular interest are the Monte Cean and Monte Pozas tunnels, 372 and 866 m in length respectively. Visit www.fcc.es 29/08.

On behalf of Egnatia Odos, WBI will design a section of the Thessaloniki ring road jointly with Greek companies DOMI O.E. (S. Stathopoulos - K. Pharros Consulting Engineers), Makarounis Constantin and Emmanouilides George, and German partner IHS (Ingenieurbüro Heitfeld-Schetelig). The contract comprises the design of three two-lane single tube mined tunnels (tunnel S1: 350 m, tunnel S2: 360 m, tunnel S3: 410 m), each 10.5 m wide plus walkways, and 70 m-long two-lane and 500 m-long four-lane cut-and-cover tunnels. WBI is in charge of the design of the mined tunnels. DOMI is in charge of the design of the cut-and-cover tunnels. The tunnels are located in silty clays with embedded horizons of breccia and conglomerates. The contract is worth EUR690,000. Visit www.wbionline.de and www.egnatia.gr 29/08.