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.

The IWMA Conference will be held this year from September 23 - 24 in London, United Kingdom. The conference is open to anybody and will offer an opportunity for those responsible for selecting fire protection as well as researchers/scientists to be updated on the current state of water mist technology for fire protection. This conference will be held in cooperation with independent member institutions which will provide full technical support.

Marioff’s innovative HI-FOG® Water Mist Fire Protection System has been recognized for its water-saving potential by Waterwise, a leading authority on water efficiency in the U.K. HI-FOG® uses up to 90 percent less water than traditional fire protection systems. Marioff is part of UTC Fire & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corporation (NYSE: UTX).

NFM Technologies has signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Indian company BEML to seal an exclusive strategic partnership with a view to becoming a principal supplier of TBMs in India and the countries of South-East Asia. With dense and rapidly-growing urban populations, Indian cities such as Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, and New Delhi have to develop their metro systems underground. The general shortage of power in the country is also forcing development of hydro projects, while the need for irrigation tunnels is also acute. Visit www.nfm-technologies.com and www.bemlindia.com. 20/09.

More than 100 exhibitors are listed for the upcoming RETC conference taking place at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas from 14-17th June, 2009. Included are numerous tunnelbuilder and tunnelintelligence clients such as Amberg (booth 217), Arup (321), Atlas Copco (605), BASF (621), Bekaert (514), ES Rubber (213), Geodata (301), Halcrow (309), Herrenknecht (313), Minova (912), Normet (222), Palmieri (725), Robbins (221), Sandvik (618), SELI (706), Sika (405), tacs (709), and VMT (504).

The deadline for the Call for Papers for the next International Symposium on Tunnel Safety and Security (ISTSS 2010), to be held in Frankfurt am Main the 17-19th March 2010, is fast approaching. Abstracts for paper submissions should be received no later than the 1st June (poster submissions are open until the 1st October). The call for papers contains full information.

Ilmeg Products AB, the Swedish manufacturer of dust control systems for the rock excavation industry, has built a new factory to produce the newly developed X-series of dust collectors. The new plant will use lean production techniques for enhanced productivity to support Ilmeg’s position as an innovative supplier with a long term commitment to the industry.

Today, 29.04.2009, we are publishing the first tunnelling bid that has resulted directly from the measures announced by various governments to bring forward infrastructure projects as part of the financial recovery process. Norway’s Statens vegvesen has made a small, but significant, step in the right direction by phasing work on the Flenja tunnel in Aurland to speed up the bid process. Readers please note the short deadline – you have little more than a week to start the paper trail!

Italian company CMC (Ravenna) will use a Robbins Single Shield TBM to construct the 5.5 km-long headrace tunnel for the Theun Hinboun expansion project on the Nam Theun river, the largest tributary of the Mekong river. The 7.6 m-diameter machine is being assembled at The Robbins Company in Solon, Ohio, US for shipment in July, 2009.

The Aestuver and Hebel divisions of the Xella group are to hold a fire test demonstration of fire-resistant Aircrete panels and mini-seminar at Gelnhausen, Germany. Hosted by Sachverständingenbüro für Brandschutz Diplom-Ingenieure

Finnish rock and ground tool supplier Robit is exhibiting the first models in its new NS casing advance system at this week’s Intermat exhibition in Paris. NS stands for non-stop, because the cycle is completed with a single pass of the drill string using a single rotary head. The casing is advanced to the required depth, and the pilot and ring bit are then continued beyond the casing. Applications include anchoring, piling and underpinning, as well as water and thermal drilling. For more, visit www.robit.fi. 18/09.

According to the EuroTAP inspectors, the European Tunnel Assessment Programme (EuroTAP) carried out this year produced a sensational result, all of the 13 tubes tested in Croatia, Spain, Switzerland and Germany, received positive ratings. Nine tunnels received a Very Good rating, three were rated Good and even the worst candidate this year received an Acceptable rating.

IPS has signed a cooperation agreement for tunnelling activities with Albert Lederer of EF Consult Asia PTE Ltd to bring closer together two professional companies involved in the tunnelling industry. The new association offers greater opportunities in the tunnelling sector, with the potential for expansion into other fields of civil engineering. IPS strategy is to continue expansion of its tunnelling related market share by increased geographical coverage of the tunnelling hotspots of the world. The advanced network capabilities brought by the cooperation with EF Consult Asia are vital to civil engineering projects, and tunnelling in particular, where both companies are now able to offer an enhanced range of services and backup to tunnelling contractors and manufacturers. More from tunnel@ipspersonnel.com 16/09.

The White Paper on transport policy in Italy requires a halving of road victims by 2010, as a result of which the automobile club ACI and roads agency ANAS have signed a partnership agreement to raise the active and passive standards for road safety.

Colombia to host technical seminar on tunnels The Colombian Government has approved the financing of more than 70 km of new tunnels, closing gaps in the national highway network and facilitating access to remote regions of the country. Together with this initiative, the technological upgrading of existing government and concession operated tunnels is planned.

Atkins has been appointed by Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation Limited to carry out both the preliminary design of the North-South Line (NSL) element of their Shatin to Central Link (SCL) project and the detailed design for the southern section of the Express Rail Link, tunnels and associated structures project. Atkins is also part of the team appointed to carry out the preliminary design of the East-West Line, which forms the other part of the SCL project.