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.

Karlander Konsult signed a contract to be site manager for an approx. 8 km-long sewage tunnel between Lerum and Partille. Hourly rate of SEK690/hour. Click se/24. Visit www.karlanderkonsult.se 48/07. Bergab and Karlander Konsult signed a contract for inspection and control of the construction works for an approx. 8 km-long sewage tunnel between Lerum and Partille. Hourly rate of SEK670/hour. Visit www.bergab.se Click se/24. 48/07.

A consortium of Bruesa and Ploder has been awarded a EUR51.1 million construction contract for the third section of the Segarra-Garrigues canal in Lleida. The project encompasses the construction of 21 additional kilometres of this canal until the municipality of Tarrega (Urgell). It includes the construction of the 2.4 km Tarrega tunnel. Once this third phase is completed, the Segarra-Garrigues canal will stretch for 42.5 kilometres out of the planned 84.7 km length. Read E-News Weekly 36/2005. Visit www.bruesa.com and www.ploder.es 48/07.

Tunnel and GeoConsult, and independent consulting engineers Sigmund Bakk and Lise Backer have been contracted by the Norwegian National Rail Administration for quality control assistance to the construction manager the Lysaker-Sandvika line. Read E-News Weekly 16/2007, 46/2006 & 19/2006. Visit www.tunnelandgeoconsult.com 48/07.

The Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) advised candidates of the list of qualified candidates for the Metro North project on 11th September, 2007 and gave them until 2nd November to form qualified bidding groups consisting of one qualified candidate from each of the qualified infrastructure, qualified operator and qualified rolling stock supplier. RPA has received confirmation of the formation of four qualified bidding groups as follows: Cathró (Fluor, Royal BAM Group, Siemens, Strabag, and Veolia), Celtic Metro Group (Barclays Private Equity, OHL, Mitsui, Soares da Costa, CAF, and MTR), Dublin Express Link (HSBC Infrastructure Fund Management, Meridiam Infrastructure Finance, Acciona, Bouygues, Siac, Alstom, Spie Rail, Alstom Transport, and Keolis), and MetroExpress (Macquarie Bank, AIB, FCC, Caja Madrid, Bombardier, and Transdev/RATP). 48/07.

A 51-49 joint venture of Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Shanghai Urban Construction (Group) Corporation has won a INR2.75 billion order from the Delhi Metro Railway Corporation (DMRC) to design and build a 2.4 km twin tunnel starting from the Indira Gandhi International Airport station to Dwarka Sector 21 on the Airport Metro Express Line.

The environmental impact assessment for the Inter-reservoirs Transfer Scheme (IRTS), a 2.8 km-long 3 m-diameter water tunnel between Kowloon Byewash Reservoir and Lower Shing Mun Reservoir has been awarded to Mott Connell for HKD950,000. Visit www.mottconnell.hk 48/07. Investigation during design and construction of the Inter-reservoirs Transfer Scheme (IRTS), a 2.8 km-long 3 m-diameter water tunnel between Kowloon Byewash Reservoir and Lower Shing Mun Reservoir for the 2007-2013 period has been commissioned to Black & Veatch for HKD5.5 million. Visit www.bvhk.com and www.epd.gov.hk/eia/register/profile/latest/esb154.pdf to know more. 48/07.

A consortium named AS194 Bahntechnik led by Bernard Ingenieure, with Elbas and Systra as partners, secured a EUR5.6 million contract covering the management of planning and coordination of the executive planning of the entire signalling, telecommunication systems and energy supply for the tunnel sections (approx. 32 km) on the Kundl/Radfeld-Baumkirchen section of the Lower Inn valley railway. Click at/44 & at/45. Visit www.bernard-ing.com, www.elbas.ch and www.systra.com 48/07.

A team of Wayss & Freytag, Held & Francke, and Habau will construct the 1,695 m Hengsberg tunnel on the Koralm high speed line between Graz and Klagenfurt. Visit www.wf-ingbau.de and www.habau.at 48/07.

Ardanuy scooped a EUR374,500 contract to design the safety and telecommunication equipment for the Vilagarcía de Arousa-Padrón section on the Atlantic coast high speed link. The Vilagarcía de Arousa-Catoira subsection includes three tunnels, of 1,320, 950 and 490 metres in length. The A Vacariza-Rialiño subsection includes two tunnels, of 300 and 650 metres in length. The Rialiño-Padrón subsection includes a 1.7 km tunnel. Visit www.ardanuy.com 47/07.

ILF of Austria and its Polish branch have been appointed to carry out the feasibility study for the central section from Daszynskiego roundabout to Wilenski railway station on Line 2 of the Warsaw metro. The contract is worth PLN3.3 million. This 6.3 km includes seven stations. Visit www.ilf.com and www.metro.waw.pl 47/07.

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.