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.

For the first line of the Thessaloniki metro, Impregilo, Aegek and SELI will build a 2 x 7.7 km tunnel, 6.12 m bored diameter and 5.25 m finished diameter, lined with 30 cm-thick universal precast concrete segments. The line also includes 13 stations, also to be constructed by the consortium.

Sogreah won the tender for the hydrogeological study for the northern ring road in Grenoble, a 2 x 6 km road link to connect the A41 and A480 highways. Its route is mainly underground, in shallow cut-and-cover tunnels or deep bored tunnels. Visit www.sogreah.fr 32-33/08.

Maunsell Consultants Asia has won an HKD18.8 million contract from the Highways Department to carry out investigation work for the planned combined bridge and tunnel link between Tuen Mun and Hong Kong international airport at Chek Lap Kok. The Tuen Mun-Chek Lap Kok link comprises about 4 km-long dual 2-lane immersed tube tunnel across the Urmston Road shipping channel, one of the busiest shipping channels in Hong Kong. Visit www.maunsell.aecom.com and www.epd.gov.hk/eia/register/profile/latest/esb175/esb175.pdf 32-33/08.

Oden Anläggningsentreprenad secured a SEK112.7 million contract to construct the 835 m Gårdberg tunnel on the Adalsbanan line. Visit www.oden.nu and www.banverket.se/adalsbanan 31/08.

The Ministry of development awarded FCC a EUR97 million contract for the construction of the southbound carriageway on the southern motorway A-4, section Venta de Cárdenas-Santa Elena. This 9 km section includes the 166 m La Cantera tunnel and the 1,823 m Despeñaperros tunnel, which is a three-lane tunnel. Click es/113 for more details. Visit www.fcc.es 31/08.

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.