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.

Asistencia Tecnica Industrial (Atisae) bagged a EUR390,000 contract to inspect buildings near the tunnels of the Trinidad junction-Montcada section in Barcelona. The 4.75 km section includes a 3,709 m-long tunnel, whereof 2,900 metres will be bored by an 11,300 mm-outer diameter TBM. Visit www.atisae.com 34/07.

The MTA Capital Construction Company has awarded a contract to Parsons Brinckerhoff to provide construction management services for the first phase of the Second Avenue subway project. The Second Avenue subway will include a two-track line along Second Avenue from 125th Street to the Financial District in Lower Manhattan. It will also include a connection to existing subway lines. Sixteen new stations will be constructed.

John Holland, a 99% owned subsidiary of Leighton Holdings, who is itself 54% owned by Germany's Hochtief, has won a AUD301 million contract to build Melbourne Water’s first stage of the northern sewerage project. 33/07

Hindustan Construction secured a INR3.16 billion contract to build a 11.85 km-long 3.6 m-diameter water tunnel from Maroshi in Andheri to Ruparel College in Matunga Road. 33/07

Statens vegvesen, the Norwegian public roads administration, awarded a NOK160 million contract to MIKA to build the 2.6 km Støylsnes tunnel and 800 metres of access roads on road Rv 55 along the Kjøsnes fjord in Jølster municipality. 33/07

AEPO signed a EUR855,000 design contract for the 2.6 km extension of the metro train to Cabueñes. An EPB TBM will be used to bore the new tunnel. 33/07

Groupe Algéro-Allemand du Métro d’Alger (GAAMA), a joint venture between Dywidag International of Germany (51%) and Algerian contractors

Iberinsa (60%) and Geoconsult (40%) bagged a EUR2.1 million design contract for the 12.6 km Sorbas-Lucaneina de Torres section on the Mediterranean coast high speed line in Almeria province.

The Bagbasi dam and 4 m-diameter Mavi tunnel, whereof 17,061 metres bored by TBM and 995 metres by conventional method, will be constructed by Ilci Group. The contract is worth EUR92.8 million. A groundbreaking ceremony took place on 6th July, 2007.

OHL’s Czech unit OHL ZS won a EUR53.34 million contract to build the 6.38 km Spejchar–Pelc-Tyrolka (SPELC) section of the city inner circle road in northwest Prague (lot 0079), whereof 5.5 kilometres of mostly bored tunnels

A joint venture led by ETDE with Clemessy, Seitha and SEE SR as partners concluded a EUR4.9 million contract to equip the 1.7 km Grands Goulets single bored tunnel with power supply, lighting, ventilation, radio communication and fire protection.

In March, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) named a joint venture led by Pacific Consultants International of Japan and including Japan Railway Technical Services, Tonichi Engineering, Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES)

HBI Haerter received a EUR221,200 contract to design the tunnel ventilation for the tunnel under the Danube and Danube National Park, to be built as part of section Schwechat-Suessenbrunn (19 km) on Vienna's outer ring motorway S1. Read E-News Weekly 21/2

ATB and Pizzarotti signed a EUR78.9 million contract to build a 10.4 km pilot tunnel between Aica and Mules in Bolzano province, south Tyrol, a 1.8 km access adit in Mules, a 400 m connecting tunnel between Aica / Unterplattner and Riga valley and process

The Comunication and Transport Secretariate (SCT) of Mexico awarded to ICA and Global Vía Infraestructuras, a company jointly owned by FCC and Caja Madrid, a USD625 million 30-year concession contract to build, operate and maintain the 85 km Nuevo Necaxa-