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.

Kevin Browning, Managing Director of International Tunnelling Services, is attending the 27th annual International No-Dig Show at the Sheraton Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada from 29th March to 3rd April, 2009, visit www.nodigshow.com. Kevin is available to meet anyone who may be in need of tunnelling specialists. International Tunnelling Services supplies personnel to projects on a worldwide basis. The International Tunnelling Services division is based at Rivium 2e straat 41b, 2909 LG Capelle aan den Ijssel, The Netherlands, tel +31 (0)10 266 94-44, fax -45. Kevin can be contacted on his mobile phone: +31 (0) 6 23 415 858 or by e-mail kbr@tunnelcrew.nl. 13/09

The New South Wales Government in Australia is undertaking electronic monitoring of the EUR1.2 billion Epping to Chatswood railway line after cracks appeared in the roof of its 13 km-long tunnel close to the launch pits for the TBMs.

Will be held on Tuesday 31st March 2009 at the Hotel Russell, London W1.The conference explores an expansive range of topics from design to procurement, construction to legacy, this the forum to gather essential information and build relationships to secure your role in the future supply chain.

tunnelbuilder has relaunched its tunneljobs.com website, accessible at www.tunneljobs.com. tunneljobs.com has been redesigned and developed with supporting input from both jobseekers and employers, so readers can either find a new job or contact new personnel. Register today, and your search can begin! tunneljobs.com is a totally new concept within the tunnelling industry, resulting from a unique collaboration between IPS Group, the tunnel personnel specialist and tunnelbuilder, the tunnelling news specialist. The working principle of tunneljobs.com is to match each jobseeker’s background to the best available job function and vice versa. Interested? Check www.tunneljobs.com or use the Jobs link on the front page of tunnelbuilder.com!

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Walter Wittke and Dr.-Ing. Bettina Wittke-Schmitt will host the 6th annual WBI-International short course from 26.11.2009 to 30.11.2009 at WBI head office in Aachen, Germany. This year additional subjects such as slopes have been included, and course length has been extended to five consecutive days, during which acknowledged experts in their field will share their knowledge. Subjects include the basics of rock mechanics, the application of the WBI-developed finite element computer codes for static and hydraulic analyses on the basis of case histories, and interesting case studies in tunnelling, slope design and construction in rock. Course language is English, and there will be plenty of time for questions and discussion. During the evening of 28.11.2009, course members can visit the famous, atmospheric Christmas market in the historic city of Aachen. Details of the programme and registration form can be obtained from WBI, Aachen, tel +49 241 88987-0, fax -33, e-mail wbi@wbionline.de 12/09

From ABC to ZED, more than 100 exhibitors are already signed up to RETC 2009, which takes place June 14-17 at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas. A fair proportion of tunnelbuilder readers will be attending the conference, and we will be keeping you up to date with developments. Because of the resilience of the tunnelling industry during the current recession, it is widely expected that RETC 2009 will break the 2007 record of 125 booths and 1,334 attendees.

“Longterm, American business is a very good place to be, but sometimes the machine gets gummed up, and people get afraid. Fear is contagious: it takes five minutes to become fearful, and a lot longer to regain confidence. One lesson to be learned is that leverage is a lot of fun on the way up, but we need to err on the safe side next time around.” Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway, Omaha, 09.03.2009.

Work has started on the 1.75 km-long Figueres tunnel on the 7.48 km-long Borrassa-Figueres section of the Madrid-Barcelona-French Border high-speed railway line.

The 87.1 km-long section from Ourense to Santiago de Compostela on the Madrid-Galicia electrified high-speed line is European standard, double track. It passes through difficult topography and geology, requiring the construction of 30 tunnels with a total length of 28.5 km, of which about 4 km are cut/cover. Currently work is underway on 82 km of the alignment and excavation of the 17 tunnels shown below is completed.

Herrenknecht is providing three EPBs for the Mexico City Eastern Wastewater Tunnel, which will have a total length of 60 km at depths of up to 200 m. The first EPB, an 8.7 m-diameter machine, has just been accepted by contractor ICA at the Schwanau plant where it was built. Read the full press release. For more information contact Achim Kuehn, tel +49 7824 302-540, pr@herrenknecht.com. 08/09.

Autostrade per l’Italia Spa has announced the awards of contracts to upgrade installations in 50 tunnels on the A1 and A7 motorways out of Milano. 09/09.

The Capital City District, currently under planning for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in the UAE, will house 350,000 people and provide 150,000 jobs. An integrated, high capacity transit system is envisaged to serve the local population and to link the district to the surrounding region.

The proposed replacement of the Alaskan Way viaduct in downtown Seattle with a 3.2 km-long bored double-deck road tunnel is symptomatic of the current trend in North America to take potential problems underground. The reality is that tunnels are more environmentally friendly and less visible than viaducts, and that their construction is less intrusive, making them more likely to be approved and built. If Seattle has its way, tunnel construction will begin in 2011 funded by a fuel tax and federal grants. The project qualifies for TARP 2 funding, so will probably be fast tracked for an earlier start. More at www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/Viaduct/.

BASF Construction Chemicals has set up a dedicated production plant for main bearing sealing greases for the current generation of large, fast TBMs.

The Robbins main beam TBM employed at Akkoy II hydro project in northeast Turkey will bore a 6.7 km-long headrace at 4.8 m-diameter before downsizing to 4.0 m-diameter for another two tunnels totalling 8.8 km.