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.

On 18th January, ADIF - Spain's administrator of railway infrastructure - has awarded the construction of the Sants-La Sagrera high speed rail section to a joint venture of Sacyr and its affiliates Cavosa and Scrinser, who have been given a EUR179.3 million contract to complete in 35 months a project that will provide the final stage of the rail link between Madrid and the heart of Barcelona, and eventually into France. The project will be co-financed, up to 72.25%, by cohesion funds of the European Union. Diaphragm wall work will be implemented to build the first 422 metres and last 395 metres of the 5.64 km section, while the remaining 4,832 metres will be driven by an 11.4 m excavated diameter earth pressure balance TBM.

Cavico Corp. has been awarded an USD11.3 million contract to construct the headrace tunnel at the Dambri hydropower plant. The tunnel, which will connect the water intake and the pressure shaft, will be approximately 5 km long with a diameter of 3.66 to 4.30 m. Cavico plans to begin work on the tunnel by the end of this month. The Dambri hydropower plant is located 140 km northeast of Ho Chi Minh City in Da Huoai village, near Da Teh city in Lam Dong province. Owned by South Hydropower Joint Stock Company, the USD80 million plant will have a 75 MW capacity. Visit www.cavicocorp.com 03/08.

Impregilo's Swiss subsidiary CSC Impresa Costruzioni has won as part of a consortium a contract worth CHF358 million to build a road tunnel, part of the new orbital highway A9 around the city of Visp. CSC has 36% of the consortium. Its partners are Frutiger, Jaeger Bau and Interalp Bau. The project is for construction of the Eyholz tunnel, consisting of two bores for a length of approximately 3.7 km each. Works will be completed in the second half of 2013. Read E-News Weekly 33/2007. Visit www.csc-sa.ch, www.frutiger.com, www.jaegerbau.com and www.a9-vs.ch 03/08.

Following an out-of-court agreement between the project owner AlpTransit Gotthard and Schweizer Bahntechnik Konsortium and once the contract is signed, which is scheduled for spring 2008, Transtec Gotthard will draw up the implementation plans to begin installing railway technology in the Gotthard base tunnel in 2009. On 4th May, 2007, Transtec Gotthard was awarded the contract for railway technology but the decision was attacked in justice by the defeated consortium Schweizer Bahntechnik. Read E-News Weekly 24/2007.

The Ministry of development has awarded the construction of the east bypass railway for freight trains in Valladolid to FCC and its affiliate Convensa. The contract is worth EUR108.2 million. The project forms part of the Madrid-Segovia-Valladolid high speed line, which opened on 22nd December, 2007. Construction will take 27 months until early 2011. Basically, the bypass is 17.5 km long and its path runs in majority parallel to Valladolid's outer ring road. It travels at grade for most of the length, except two kilometres in Pinar del Jalon, San Cristobal industrial park and Cerro de San Cristobal, running mainly in a cut-and-cover tunnel. Visit www.fcc.es 03/08.

Lovat and contractor Mosmetrostroy have signed a contract for the supply of a refurbished ME238SE series 21801 earth pressure balance TBM. Having recently completed its maiden project, the Docklands Light Rail extension in London, the 6 m-diameter TBM will now be used in the construction of the Nizhny Novgorod metro. The TBM will bore twin 1.4 km-long tunnels along a maximum slope of 4.5%. The entire alignment is located under the groundwater table, with absolute groundwater heights above tunnel invert level varying from 9 m to 35 m. Geological conditions consist of sedimentary deposits including clay, loam and sand. Also present are sedimentary rocks including marl, sandstone, siltstone and several dolomite layers with sand seams. Depth of cover above the tunnel crown varies from 10 m to 42 m. The TBM will undergo a comprehensive refurbishment at the jobsite in Russia under Lovat supervision, where it will also be fitted with a new Lovat mixed face cutting head. Mining is expected to commence in early 2008. Visit www.lovat.com and www.metrostroy.com 03/08.

Lovat and contractor McConnell Dowell have recently signed a contract for the supply of a new RME131SE series 24400 earth pressure balance TBM that will be used in the construction of the Rosedale wastewater treatment plant outfall located in Auckland. This is the second Lovat TBM ordered by McConnell Dowell in 2007. Click here. The 3.3 m-diameter mixed face TBM will bore a total of 2,950 metres, with the final 550 metres being driven offshore.

ACS, through its affiliate Dragados in partnership with Iza Obras y Promociones, will be responsible for the construction of the 3.53 km Galdakao-Basauri section in Biscay province. Their contract is worth EUR49.4 million and includes the construction of the 2.72 km Zaratamo tunnel. Visit www.dragados.com 02/08

Dragados scooped a EUR33 million contract for project design and construction of section II of the supply system from Cenajo dam to the basin of Taibilla canals, including a 5,950 m-long water tunnel and connecting pipe to the Cenajo water treatment plant. Visit www.dragados.com 02/08.

Norconsult pocketed a NOK2.9 million contract for consultancy services for the water transfer from Langlia and Holsfjorden to Oset in Maridalen, possibly in tunnel. Click no/85 for more. Visit www.norconsult.no 02/08.

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.