The consortium Spie Sud Est/Yvroud Europeenne des Fluides, Feyzin secured the EUR7.6 million contract for equipment maintenance in the Grand Lyon tunnels, the most important of which are Fourviere (1,850 m), Croix-Rousse (1,750 m), Brotteaux-Servient and Vivier-Merle (336 m). For more, contact Communaute Urbaine de Lyon, fax +33 478 957097, or visit http://marches.grandlyon.com. Visit http://ted.europa.eu/udl?request=Seek-Deliver&language=en&docid=058386-2010. 11/10...

Gähler und Partner AG of Ennetbaden have secured the EUR2.28 million contract for PM designer for safety refurbishment in 1.14 km-long Mosi tunnel on A4, near Brunnen. Contact OFROU, Zofingen, tel +41 6274575-11, fax -90, e-mail beschaffung.zofingen@astra.admin.ch. Visit http://ted.europa.eu/udl?request=Seek-Deliver&language=en&docid=062920-2010. 11/10...

IG BP2, c/o Bänziger Partner AG of Zurich, secured the EUR2.63 million contract from BAMO for 5.7 km-long N3 Kerenzer tunnel. Contact OFROU, Winterthour, tel +41 522344-711, fax -790, e-mail winterthur@astra.admin.ch. Visit http://ted.europa.eu/udl?request=Seek-Deliver&language=en&docid=062921-2010. 11/10..

Construction contract for Kuechelberg tunnel awarded to PAC SpA consortium, value EUR34,695,272 excluding VAT. More from PAC in Capo di Ponte, tel +39 0364331037, fax +39 036442303, e-mail info@pacspa.it and client APB in Bozen, tel +39 04714125-14, fax –39, e-mail gare-11.5@provincia.bz.it Visit http://ted.europa.eu/udl?request=Seek-Deliver&language=en&docid=071475-2010. 11/10...

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.

Tunnel excavation by SELI SpA for the Pando and Monte Lirio hydroelectric power projects in Panama is expected to start in April, 2010 for completion in November, 2012. The two plants, located in the upstream part of the Chiriqui Viejo River basin, on the western side of the country, are expected to be commissioned in July, 2012 and December, 2012 respectively. Pando hydropower plant will consist of a 25 m-high water-edge-type dam, with a small reservoir and a 5.161 km intake tunnel to be built using a 3.6 m-diameter EPB TBM. It will have an installed capacity of 32 MW. Monte Lirio plant is located in cascade downstream of the Pando HEPP, and will consist of a 15-m high dam with a reservoir; and a 7.878 km-long intake tunnel to be built using a 3.8 m-diameter EPB TBM. It will generate 50.4 MW. Geology along the alignment comprises lahar and basalt.

The 6,466 m-long western bore of the Bibra tunnel on the Erfurt-Leipzig/Halle high-speed railway broke through on 03.03.2010. It was excavated using drill/blast techniques by JV Marti Tunnelbau AG, Marti GmbH, and Johann Bunte Construction Company GmbH & Co.KG. At the same time, the second tube of the 6,970 m-long Finne tunnel was completed by the JV of Wayss & Freytag, Porr and Max Boegl using a TBM. The first breakthrough in Finne tunnel was on 30.09.2009. The 123 km-long railway, set to open in 2015, forms part of the 500 km Nuernberg-Berlin Corridor 8, which is being developed at a cost of EUR10 billion under Germany's post-reunification investment plan. The route includes the 2 km-long Osterberg tunnel. Visit tunnelbuilder archive de/51 for history of this major project, and www.vde8.de, www.wf-ingbau.de and www.martiag.ch.

Breakthrough of the bi-tube 5,475 m Thirre-Kalimash tunnel was achieved at end-May, 2009 as part of the Bechtel-Enka contract to build the 61 km four lane motorway between Rrëshen and Kalimash in Albania. (video). Fitting out was halted in the south tunnel in October, 2009 when the Albanian Ministry of Public Works closed it due to ground movements. Within a month, a collapse of 50 m of the unlined section occurred (video). Stabilization of this section is underway, and circumferential shotcrete arches have been constructed on either side of the collapse as a further safety measure. This work will be completed by end-July, 2010 the end of the construction of Thirre-Kalimash tunnel. The enquiry currently underway in Albania is questioning the price tag for this section of the new motorway, which has increased from EUR416 million to more than EUR1 billion euros. For more on the project click here and visit tunnelbuilder archive al/13.

The EUR26 million Monaco tunnel, in Grimaldi municipality on the A3 Salerno-Reggio Calabria motorway, holed through on 01.03.2010. The new tunnel crosses the north end of Monaco mountain, and is part of the 18 km-long Megalot 4/b between Altilia Grimaldi in Cosenza province and Falerna in Catanzaro province, which includes 20 viaducts and 4 tunnels. The south tube of Monaco tunnel is 769 m, with 72 m in cut/cover. The carriageway will accommodate two 3.5 m-wide lanes, a 3 m-wide emergency lane, and 0.7 m-wide pavement on the left. The carriageway width is 11.2 m. The north tube is 536 m, with 60 m in cut/cover. Megalot 4/b works will be concluded by December, 2011.Visit www.stradeanas.it and www.pizzarotti.it. For more on the project, click it/46.

Two 6.4 m-diameter Robbins Main Beam TBMs were launched in winter 2009-2010 beneath Chongqing, a Chinese mega-city of over 35 million people. The two machines are excavating twin 12 km-long tunnels for Line 6 of the Chongqing Metro, and are the first hard rock TBMs to be used in the city. Each machine is boring under sections of very low cover, ranging from 10 to 60 m in sandstone from 12 to 50 MPa UCS. Both High Performance (HP) TBMs started up from a common portal after shop assembly in Chongqing. The first machine was moved through the start chamber on a specially designed walking cradle, and began cutting rock on 11.12.2009. The second machine was launched a month later. As of late-February, 2010 the two machines had excavated 800 m and 420 m respectively, starting under about 20 m of cover. The tunnels are the first new lines to be excavated for the city's metro system, which is planned to include a network of nine rail routes, both above and below ground, and approximately 30 km of tunnels excavated by both TBM and drill/blast. Read the full press release.

The EUR754.4 million East West corridor of Kolkata Metro Rail Project is a medium capacity system covering approximately 15 km from IT hub Salt Lake Sector V to Howrah. It comprises a 5.7 km-long elevated section and a 9 km underground section, each with six stations. The underground alignment runs from Howrah Maidan to Howrah Station, passing below Hooghly River, Mahakaran Station, Central Station, Sealdah Station, Phool Bagan Station to Subhas Sarovar. For the map visit www.kmrc.in/home.php. For more details on the project see below or click in/61.

On 21.02.2010 the Premier of New South Wales, Australia introduced the Metropolitan Transport Plan: Connecting the City of Cities. It includes a 25-year strategy for land use planning for Sydney, and a 10-year fully funded package of transport infrastructure for the Sydney metropolitan area. As part of this plan, construction of the Sydney Metro Network Stage 1 (Rozelle to Central) and Stage 2 (Central to Westmead) has been stopped, and resources and funding have been reallocated to a range of other projects over the next 10 years. Click au/31. Visit www.nsw.gov.au/shapeyourstate.

French-based international rail and urban transport engineering company SYSTRA has been awarded ISO 14001 environmental certification effective 10.02.2010 for all of its sites and consulting and engineering businesses. This achievement is the culmination of a major internal programme conducted by the company to integrate environmental aspects into their ISO 9001 certified management systems. The award is fully consistent with the company's long-term strategy of promoting sustainable mobility by way of design and engineering expertise. Click for a copy of the SYSTRA ISO certificate or, for some background to company operations, visit www.systra.com.

The Tunnel Design & Construction Asia conference will bring together international industry experts to speak on the most relevant issues related to regional tunnel design and construction. The technical conference will cover tunnelling for industries such as utilities, cabling, consumer and transportation. It will provide a networking platform, and will create opportunities for Government departments to meet with construction and engineering contractors, plus design consultants, to discuss the best working practices for ensuring safe, efficient and cost effective tunnelling projects. Further information from www.tunneldesignconstruction.com. Click here. 09/10.

Installation of 178 sheet piles has been completed between Girona I tunnel and adjacent buildings to consolidate the structures before the Gerunda TBM passage. The works are part of the EUR278.6 million contract awarded to FCC (40%), Dragados (30%), Copisa (20%) and Tecsa (10%) on the Madrid-Barcelona-French border high-speed line 3,640 m Girona section. Two TBM tunnels of 1,297 m and 1,564 m, and the first phase of the station, are included. Click es/20. Visit www.adif.es.

On 15.02.2010, excavation of the 1,288 m-long, 86 sq m twin-track Elche tunnel started on the El Carrús-Elche section of the Madrid-Castilla La Mancha-Comunidad Valenciana-Murcia high-speed line in Alicante province. Some 255 m of the tunnel is in cut/cover, and the remainder will be mined using NATM techniques. For project history visit tunnelbuilder archive es/95 and www.fomento.es.

On 25.02.2010 excavation of the 725 m-long, 110 sq m twin-track Ardilleiro tunnel was completed, including two cut/cover sections. Ardilleiro tunnel is on the Silleda, Dornelas to Vedra-Boqueixón section of the high-speed line from Ourense to Santiago and it was the last of the thirty tunnels on the axis to be bored. NATM techniques were used. For ten years of contract history and over 100 reports of this major project, visit tunnelbuilder archive es/45. For client background visit www.adif.es. 09/10.

Refurbishment works in the 1,357 m Landy road tunnel on the A1 in Ile de France will be completed by summer, 2012 as part of the programme to update 22 road tunnels in the district. Ten security exits, 81 CCTV cameras, a new ventilation system to improve smoke evacuation in case of fire, fire-retardant walls to strength the structure, and three remote closing barriers are being installed. Click fr/89 for information.

The Intertunnel-Expoferroviaria will take place in Turin at the Lingotto Fiere exhibition centre June 8-10, 2010. For Intertunnel, more than 60 exhibitors from 11 countries had registered by end-February, including tunnelbuilder advertisers BASF, Mapei, Palazzoli, Raet, Robbins, Seli and Thermostick. The conference will be considering many issues, with an emphasis on safety, and the need to integrate transport infrastructure and security engineering. For further information visit www.intertunnel.com. 09/10.

Atlas Copco will develop one of two rapid tunnelling concepts for Rio Tinto, which will enable fast and cost-effective construction of mine roadways. Using knowledge gained 20 years ago from its Mobile Miner experience, Atlas Copco has designed its new Modular Mining Machine as a mechanical rock excavation system that will double the traditional expectations of face advance. Read the full press release and visit Atlas Copco for more.