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.

Mumbai-based Valecha Engineering bagged a new contract for an irrigation tunnel project in Udaipur. The scope of the work includes constructing a 3,300 m-long tunnel from Akodra Dam to Bujara Village. The work will begin instantaneously and will be completed in the next 24 to 30 months. The tender value of the scheme amounts to INR1.8 billion. Visit www.valechaeng.com 47/07.

COWI landed a EUR550,000 contract for measurement of vibration propagation at the sites of the dual-track tunnels on the Lower Inn valley line. The total length of tunnels is 35 km. Visit www.cowi.dk 47/07.

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has approved a team of Skanska Civil USA, Schiavone Construction Co. and J.F. Shea Construction for a USD1.14 billion contract to build the 2.4 km extension of the subway line 7 to Manhattan’s west side. When the contract has been signed, USD400 million will be included in Skanska’s order bookings for the fourth quarter. The joint venture is the unique bidder and the job will be awarded in mid-November. Skanska is part of a joint venture named S3 Tunnel Constructors in which Skanska USA Civil and J.F. Shea Construction hold 35% each and the Schiavone Construction Company holds 30%. The team has a 57-month construction schedule to bore a 6.5 m-diameter tunnel through mostly hard rock some 40 metres deep.

Geocontrol and VS Ingeniería y Urbanismo pocketed a EUR3.7 million contract for site supervision during construction of the 3,260 m-long Archidona-Arroyo de la Negra section on the Bobadilla-Granada high speed line, including the 2,170 m-long 85 sq m Archidona tunnel. Visit www.geocontrol.es and www.vsingenieria.com 46/07.

Acciona (75%) and Obras Subterráneas (25%) scooped a EUR113.8 million contract to build the 4.7 km Aranjuez-Ontigola section, including the 2,437 m-long 85.7 sq m El Regajal tunnel, whereof 2,080 metres will be mined. Visit www.acciona.es and www.obrassubterraneas.es 46/07.

Consortium ATB, whose members are Pizzarotti, Condotte, SELI, Collini, Bilfinger Berger, Alpine Bau and Jaeger, has been awarded the contract to build the Aica-Mules access adit to the Brenner base tunnel and commissioned its construction to SELI using a TBM. SELI will supply the TBM and ancillary equipment, bore the tunnel and install the support. The excavated diameter is 6.3 m (31 sq m) and the finished inner diameter is 5.6 m. The main underground structure is the Mules access adit, 35 sq m in cross-section, 10% gradient and length of 1,800 m. This first lot will mainly cross the Bressanone granite, a hard rock formation generally of good quality. The high cover and the presence of faults and fractured zones could make tunnelling critical at certain spots. The consortium already owns the TBM (a Wirth machine previously used for the San Francisco project in Ecuador by Odebrecht) and is modifying its diameter and revising it in its facilities. Click ec/18 and here. The supply includes the a double shield rock TBM with back-up and conveyor belt for rock haulage. It is planned to install both precast concrete segments and traditional supports (bolts, wire mesh, steel arches and shotcrete). The rock haulage will be performed by means of a new conveyor belt supplied by Marti Technik. Tunnelling is programmed to commence in April 2008. Visit www.selitunnel.com, www.wirth-europe.com and www.martitechnik.ch 46/07.

The Apion Kleos consortium, led by VINCI with 36%, signed in end July the contract with the Greek government for the Athens-Tsakona motorway, the country’s biggest motorway concession project. The contract has yet to be ratified by the Greek parliament. The expected start of the concession is April 2008. The other members of the consortium are Hochtief of Germany (25%) and three Greek companies, namely Elliniki Technodomiki-Aktor (18%), J&P-Avax (18%) and Athena (3%). The project calls for the financing, design, construction and/or repair of 365 km of toll motorway between Athens and Tsakona in the southwest of the Peloponnese, via Corinth and Patras. This breaks down into 82 km of existing motorway, 120 km to repair and widen, and 163 km to build. The project also calls for operating the motorway for 30 years.

Idom received a EUR180,000 contract for E&M equipment design for the third metro line of the Bilbao metro. The 5,750 line, of which 4,352 m in mined twin-track tunnel, 223 m in cut and cover and 487 m in open cut, includes four mined stations (Otxarkoaga, Txurdinaga, Zurbarranbarri, Uribarri) and two open cut stations (San Antonio de Etxebarri and Casco Viejo). Read E-News Weekly 37/2007 & 11/2005. Visit www.idom.es 45/07.

OHL (50%), Aldesa Construcciones (14%), Construcciones Sando (14%), Copasa (14%) and Tapusa (8%) landed a EUR60 million contract to equip the 9.4 km-long Colmejar Viejo-Soto del Real section, including all outfit (ventilation, fire extinguishing, civil protection and safety, and electrical equipment) in the 2 x 8,759 m-long San Pedro tunnels. Visit www.ohl.es, www.aldesaconstrucciones.es, www.sando.net, www.copasa.es and www.tapusa.es 45/07.

Enmacosa secured a EUR2 million contract for site supervision and work inspection during construction of the 6.2 km Cerponzons-Portela section on the Atlantic coast high speed line in Pontevedra province. This section includes the 1.3 km San Amaro tunnel. Visit www.enmacosa.com 45/07.

FCC (40%), Dragados (30%), Copisa (20%) and Tecsa (10%) bagged a EUR278.6 million contract to build the urban tunnels and first phase of the station in Girona. The 3.6 km section includes two TBM-built tunnels named Girona I and Girona II. The 1,564 m-long Girona II tunnel will connect with the next section, the 3,042 m-long Sarria tunnel, so that trains will travel through a 4,606 m-long tunnel altogether. The contract also includes the first phase of the new intermodal station. Visit www.fcc.es, www.dragados.com, www.copisa.com and www.tecsa.es 45/07. A joint venture formed by Sacyr, Cavosa and Scrinser pocketed a EUR77 million contract to construct the 7.5 km Borrassa-Figueres section in Girona province, including a 1,750 m tunnel. Construction will last 20 months. Visit www.gruposyv.com and www.cavosa.es 45/07.

ADIF has awarded the 4.6 km Durango-Amorebieta/Etxano section on the Vitoria-Bilbao-San Sebastian high speed line to a joint venture formed by Vías y Construcciones (75%) and Nortúnel (25%). The contract is worth EUR70 million and the time frame totals 30 months. The section includes several tunnels: San Andres (703 m), Urzelai (661 m), Olabarrie I and II (481 and 409 m respectively) and, between these two, the 172 m Olabarrie cut-and-cover tunnel. The cross-section is 100 sq m for the San Andres tunnel, 95 sq m for the Urzelai tunnel and 85 sq m for the Olabarrie tunnels. Visit www.vias.es and www.nortunel.com 44/07.

ADIF has delayed to November the contract award, initially scheduled for 26th October, 2007, for construction of the tunnel that will cross Barcelona between Sants and La Sagrera stations. The decision is the consequence of sinkholes affecting the L'Hospitalet-La Torrassa section. Local commuter services on three suburban lines operated by Renfe and one line operated by the Catalan railways have been interrupted since 20th October. A sixth sinkhole, appeared in Bellvitge station on 26th October, has led to halt work on that section. The

Avelino Farinha & Agrela (AFA), Tecnovia, Spie Batignolles Europe and Soares da Costa signed a EUR37.9 million contract to build the first phase of the Fajã da Ovelha-Ponta do Pargo expressway. This is a 5.7 km section, including four tunnels totalling 2,220 m. TPF Planege received a EUR795,200 contract for construction management.

Hindustan Construction Company has received a contract worth INR9.8 billion from Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to construct two underground stations and a tunnel between New Delhi and Talkatora Garden stations on the Airport Metro Express Line project. Visit www.hccindia.com 44/07.