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...

Sociedad Concesionaria Autopista Los Libertadores S.A. was awarded the concession for the construction and operation of the 117 km Santiago-Colina-Los Andes highway under a public tender in 1997, for a term of 28 years. The operator is owned by OHL of Spain. OHL will invest USD101 million in expanding and improving the highway. The Chacabuco tunnel will be doubled and the upgrading of a 19.5 km

Invitation to prequalify, deadline unspecified, for construction of 750 mm-diameter gas pipelines. Contractors are required to have experience in tunnelling and microtunnelling. Visit http://ted.europa.eu/udl?request=Seek-Deliver&language=en&docid=67831-2008, OJ S 49, or contact Snam Rete Gas, San Donato Milanese, fax +39 0252038570. Visit mevem@snamretegas.it 13/08.

Notice of prequalification, with indefinite duration, for ground investigation works (lot 29) for the Thames tideway tunnel. The ground investigation will be undertaken in a number of phases along the proposed tunnel route between Hammersmith (West London) and Beckton (East London), primarily to assist in the modelling of geological, geotechnical and groundwater conditions.

Invitation for prequalification, deadline 26th February, 2008 for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) package for civil works and hydromechanical equipment works for the Vishnugad Pipalkoti hydroelectric project. Civil works include a 65 m-high gravity concrete dam; a 10 m-diameter diversion and spill tunnel; a 12 m-diameter spill tunnel; an intake structure followed by three

Final bids for a AUD2.3 billion public-private partnership (PPP) toll road project to Brisbane airport in Queensland state were submitted on 14th December. The predominantly underground Airport Link is a 46-year concession contract to design, build, operate and maintain a 6.7 km motorway, 5.7 km of which in tunnel, to connect the North South Bypass Tunnel (NSBT) and Inner City Bypass at Bowen

Four Japanese companies prequalified for Malaysia's MYR8.9 billion water project between Pahang and Selangor states. There were eight bidders for the 44.6 km water transfer tunnel part of the project, which will eventually cost about MYR3 billion. The prequalification was undertaken by consultants from the ministry for energy, water and communications and project financier, the Japan Bank for

The prequalification phase for construction of the 6.5 km section of the Sofia subway connecting Nadezhda borough with Cherni Vrah boulevard ended on 3rd September. The second phase started on 5th December and the contract is to be concluded in February 2008. The building works are to start in 2008 and to be complete in 45 months. The route will have a total of seven underground stations,

Two consortia have been shortlisted to submit their best and final offer for a concession contract to design, construct, widen, finance, operate and maintain the A4/IP4 connection between Amarante and Vila Real (32 km), including the operation, maintenance and widening between the Geraldes and Padronelo interchanges (4 km). The project includes the 2 x 6 km Marão tunnel to link Padronelo in

The Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) shortlisted candidates for the first stage of the tendering process for Dublin’s first light metro line. The qualified candidates for Metro North, an 18 km line from St Stephen’s Green in central Dublin to Lissenhall, have until 2nd November, 2007 to form bidding groups consisting of infrastructure provider, rolling stock supplier and operator.

The bidding process for construction of the high speed railway tunnel in Barcelona between Sants and the future terminal in La Sagrera bordering the Sagrada Familia cathedral, estimated to a maximum of EUR246.2 million, has attracted eight candidates: Sacyr, and its two affiliates Scrinser and Cavosa; Dragados, its affiliate Tecsa, Constructora San José and Obras Subterráneas; Comsa and Isolux

The two prequalified consortia after assessment of the technical and financial bids for the first stage of the undergrounding of the Sarmiento line are as follows: Iecsa teaming up with Comsa, Odebrecht and Ghella on one side and Isolux Corsán in partnership with Esuco on the other. This bidding process relates to engineering, executive design, construction and financing to place underground the

Five consortia have shown interest in designing, supplying, installing, commissioning, operating and transferring all systems like rolling stock, traction, signalling and telecommunication, ventilation and air conditioning, track, depot and other faciliti

The five prequalified consortia for the civil works engineering for the City ring line, Copenhagen metro's Circle Line, are: City Ring Consultants including Carl Bro, FaberMaunsell, and Niras; Cowi, Arup, and Systra; LSI Metro Group including ISC, ILF, a

The five candidates for the concession for the Charles de Gaulle Express, between Gare de l'Est station in Paris and Charles de Gaulle airport in Roissy are: a consortium led by Eiffage, with Macquarie Bank; a consortium led by Bouygues TP, with Seco-Rai

Metropolitano de Lisboa awarded to a consortium of MSF, OPCA, Edifer, Sopol, and Alves Ribeiro the contract to build the Oriente-Airport section on the Red Line. Construction of the 3.6 km section, including three stations (Moscavide, Encarnação and Aero

Sociedad Concesionaria Autopista Los Libertadores S.A. was awarded the concession for the construction and operation of the 117 km Santiago-Colina-Los Andes highway under a public tender in 1997, for a term of 28 years. The operator is owned by OHL of Spain. OHL will invest USD101 million in expanding and improving the highway. The Chacabuco tunnel will be doubled and the upgrading of a 19.5 km section. The existing single bore tunnel is 2,050 m in length and the new tunnel may be of the same length, shorter or longer. The 9 m-wide tunnel will carry two lanes. Trasa Ingeniería is carrying out a social evaluation study to assess the benefits of the project. This is due to be completed in early May. Then the detailed design will be undertaken. Finally, the construction is expected to be tendered in the fourth quarter of this year. Details regarding the construction method are not available yet. Visit www.ohlconcesiones.cl 14/08.

Invitation to prequalify, deadline unspecified, for construction of 750 mm-diameter gas pipelines. Contractors are required to have experience in tunnelling and microtunnelling. Visit http://ted.europa.eu/udl?request=Seek-Deliver&language=en&docid=67831-2008, OJ S 49, or contact Snam Rete Gas, San Donato Milanese, fax +39 0252038570. Visit mevem@snamretegas.it 13/08.

Notice of prequalification, with indefinite duration, for ground investigation works (lot 29) for the Thames tideway tunnel. The ground investigation will be undertaken in a number of phases along the proposed tunnel route between Hammersmith (West London) and Beckton (East London), primarily to assist in the modelling of geological, geotechnical and groundwater conditions.

Invitation for prequalification, deadline 26th February, 2008 for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) package for civil works and hydromechanical equipment works for the Vishnugad Pipalkoti hydroelectric project. Civil works include a 65 m-high gravity concrete dam; a 10 m-diameter diversion and spill tunnel; a 12 m-diameter spill tunnel; an intake structure followed by three desilting chambers (each 350 m long x 16 m wide x 20.6 m high); a 13.4 km-long x 8.8 m-diameter horse shoe-shaped headrace tunnel; a 130 m-high x 22 m-diameter surge shaft; a 351 m-long x 5.2 m-diameter pressure shaft; an underground power house for four vertical Francis turbine generating each 111 MW;

Final bids for a AUD2.3 billion public-private partnership (PPP) toll road project to Brisbane airport in Queensland state were submitted on 14th December. The predominantly underground Airport Link is a 46-year concession contract to design, build, operate and maintain a 6.7 km motorway, 5.7 km of which in tunnel, to connect the North South Bypass Tunnel (NSBT) and Inner City Bypass at Bowen Hills with arterial roads at Kedron and Toombul.

Four Japanese companies prequalified for Malaysia's MYR8.9 billion water project between Pahang and Selangor states. There were eight bidders for the 44.6 km water transfer tunnel part of the project, which will eventually cost about MYR3 billion. The prequalification was undertaken by consultants from the ministry for energy, water and communications and project financier, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).

The prequalification phase for construction of the 6.5 km section of the Sofia subway connecting Nadezhda borough with Cherni Vrah boulevard ended on 3rd September. The second phase started on 5th December and the contract is to be concluded in February 2008. The building works are to start in 2008 and to be complete in 45 months. The route will have a total of seven underground stations, stretching from Nadezhda borough down southeast to the central railway station, Tzum department store, the National Palace of Culture to Cherni Vrah boulevard.

Two consortia have been shortlisted to submit their best and final offer for a concession contract to design, construct, widen, finance, operate and maintain the A4/IP4 connection between Amarante and Vila Real (32 km), including the operation, maintenance and widening between the Geraldes and Padronelo interchanges (4 km). The project includes the 2 x 6 km Marão tunnel to link Padronelo in Amarante with Campea in Vila Real. The first consortium includes Sacyr Vallehermoso and its Portuguese branch Somague, who proposed EUR346 million. The second consortium is headed by motorway operator Brisa, teaming up with Teixeira Duarte, Alves Ribeiro, Construtora do Tâmega and Zagope, with a bid of EUR375 million. The 30-year concession will introduce a new concept in public-private relationships in Portugal, since the government will pay the concessionaire not only according to the traffic on the motorway but also the availability of the roadway, i.e. lane closures necessary for maintenance. The first section is scheduled to open in 2009 and the full motorway must be operational in 2011. 45/07.

The Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) shortlisted candidates for the first stage of the tendering process for Dublin’s first light metro line. The qualified candidates for Metro North, an 18 km line from St Stephen’s Green in central Dublin to Lissenhall, have until 2nd November, 2007 to form bidding groups consisting of infrastructure provider, rolling stock supplier and operator.

The bidding process for construction of the high speed railway tunnel in Barcelona between Sants and the future terminal in La Sagrera bordering the Sagrada Familia cathedral, estimated to a maximum of EUR246.2 million, has attracted eight candidates: Sacyr, and its two affiliates Scrinser and Cavosa; Dragados, its affiliate Tecsa, Constructora San José and Obras Subterráneas; Comsa and Isolux Corsán; Construcciones Rubau, OHL and Acsa; FCC and Copisa; Vías y Construcciones; Ferrovial Agromán and Copcisa; and Acciona. ADIF will award the contract in October. The project is a 5.64 km section between the two stations. The first 422 metres and last 395 metres of the path will be constructed using the cut-and-cover method, whereas the remaining 4.82 km will be bored by a TBM. The project also includes a 240 m-long 40 m-deep concrete wall along the Sagrada Familia to form a protection precinct and avoid that any ground movement generated by tunnelling affect the monument’s foundations. These works will be performed before the passage of the TBM. Read E-News Weekly 26/2007, 18/2007, 27/2006, 5/2006, 8/2004 & 25/2002. 40/07.

The two prequalified consortia after assessment of the technical and financial bids for the first stage of the undergrounding of the Sarmiento line are as follows: Iecsa teaming up with Comsa, Odebrecht and Ghella on one side and Isolux Corsán in partnership with Esuco on the other. This bidding process relates to engineering, executive design, construction and financing to place underground the Sarmiento railway line between Caballito and Moreno, including stage I Caballito-Liniers (Ciudadela), stage II Liniers (Ciudadela)-Castelar and stage III Castelar-Moreno

Five consortia have shown interest in designing, supplying, installing, commissioning, operating and transferring all systems like rolling stock, traction, signalling and telecommunication, ventilation and air conditioning, track, depot and other faciliti

The five prequalified consortia for the civil works engineering for the City ring line, Copenhagen metro's Circle Line, are: City Ring Consultants including Carl Bro, FaberMaunsell, and Niras; Cowi, Arup, and Systra; LSI Metro Group including ISC, ILF, a

The five candidates for the concession for the Charles de Gaulle Express, between Gare de l'Est station in Paris and Charles de Gaulle airport in Roissy are: a consortium led by Eiffage, with Macquarie Bank; a consortium led by Bouygues TP, with Seco-Rai

Metropolitano de Lisboa awarded to a consortium of MSF, OPCA, Edifer, Sopol, and Alves Ribeiro the contract to build the Oriente-Airport section on the Red Line. Construction of the 3.6 km section, including three stations (Moscavide, Encarnação and Aero