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.

In Ireland, Limerick County Council is advertising for artists to create permanent outdoor artwork for their ring road and tunnel, for which they will pay EUR500 to each of the five making the shortlist, and EUR110,000 for the commission. Contact Vincent O’Shea in Kilkenny, tel +353 872384599, e-mail infoirl@indigo.ie, deadline 02.10.2009. In England, London Borough of Newham wants tunnelling training to meet the needs of local employers, and requests providers to contact Gayle McAndie, tel +44 (0)20 3373 8264, e-mail gayle.mcandie@newham.gov.uk, deadline 11.09.2009. You heard it here second! 36/09.

UCON™ Trident™ AW hydraulic fluids from American Chemical Technologies Inc. are high performance hydraulic fluids designed for demanding industrial applications requiring environmental sensitivity, water solubility, fire resistance, and excellent anti-wear properties over wide temperature ranges.

New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) is inviting construction firms to submit a Statement of Qualifications for the provision of construction services in connection with the replacement of existing water siphons between Brooklyn and Staten Island in New York. NYCEDC is issuing this Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to establish a list of qualified construction contractors for the Project. To learn more about this unique project, visit nycedc.com/rfp. RESPONSES ARE DUE NO LATER THAN 4:00 PM 9/23/09. RFQ guidelines and requirements are available at nycedc.com/rfp, or at NYCEDC, 110 William St., 6th floor, NY, NY, 10038,M - F, 9:30-4:30. M/WBE and DBE firms are encouraged to apply. Email:- watersiphonsConstructionRFQ@nycedc.com

Of the 14 major economies that went into recession, Japan, France and Germany have already hauled themselves out, and will progressively be followed by their peers. Most of the industrialized world, including Australia and the emergent BRIC economies, suffered downturns of varying degrees, but escaped outright recession. The tunnelling industry is emerging comparatively unscathed, but now has to react quickly to the post-recession situation. Many companies slashed their advertising budgets more than two years ago as a first response to the immediate need to cut overall costs. However, to survive and be forgotten is a hollow victory for such players, and they need to move quickly to both re-establish their identities and take advantage of the current flurry of activity in the marketplace. It is too early in the recovery to spend money on vanity advertising, but the time is right for low-cost, high-impact placements. A company profile at tunnelbuilder.com and tunnelintelligence.com is still the easiest, quickest and most cost-effective way to reach the key decision makers in the tunnelling industry. Our introductory offer of a company profile written and designed by us to your instructions, accessed by a logolink in a prominent place on our front page, will draw the attention of 30,000 readers/month. Its effectiveness can be monitored daily by clicking on our ad-tracker, and we can support your message with newsflashes about your company achievements. Please refer to our sales page. 35/09.

The 7.96 m-diameter hard rock double shield Herrenknecht TBM launched at Dornala last year on an 18.5 km water tunnel drive has been joined by a similar 9.2 m-diameter machine launched early last month running parallel at a separation of 60 m. Both tunnels are being lined with honeycomb precast concrete segments produced at a Herrenknecht plant at site. The tunnels, located beneath the Nagarjunasagar tiger reserve, will draw irrigation water from Srisailam dam to Veligonda reservoir in the Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh. For full background and history of this project, visit tunnelbuilder archive in/42. 35/09.

Korea currently has 25 expressway routes totalling 3,103 km, a figure that will increase to 4,000 km by 2010 and 6,160 km by 2020. Design work will start in 2010 on a proposed 149 km road tunnel network 50 m beneath the surface of Seoul, Korea arranged in a grid of three north-south routes and three east-west routes. For more on expressway construction in Korea visit www.ex.co.kr/english/major_job/exp/major_job_exp.jsp 35/09.

The International Water Mist Association conference is taking place at the Hilton Hotel in Paddington, London from 23.09.2009 to 24.09.2009. Sponsored by Fogtec, Tyco, Danfoss Semco and Eusebi Impianti, this important event will discuss all types of water mist fire suppression systems in a total of seven sessions led by industry experts. High on the agenda are tunnel tests, and projects such as Mont Blanc tunnel. Day 2 will be spent at BRE research establishment. For more information, contact Matthias Ecke in Heyrothsberge, Germany, e-mail ecke@iwma.net. 34/09.

Stirling Lloyd specializes in the development, manufacture and application of high-performance waterproofing and structural protection membrane systems. They have recently put their 40 years of experience to the test in developing a new spray applied waterproofing membrane known as Integritank HF which is based on advanced Methacrylate technology.

Bechtel-Enka, the US-Turkey consortium building the 57 km-long motorway between Rreshen and Kalimash, has reported its experience on the 5.5 km-long NATM twin tube tunnel at Thirre on this section. The tunnel passes beneath Mount Runes with an altitude of 1,850 m. The four ends have been worked 24 h/day using five Atlas Copco computerized drilling rigs on a crown heading and bench system to produce 6.4 m headroom. Rock classes 3-5 have been encountered, worse quality than expected, but conditions are dry.

The 32.2 km-long Guang-Fo Line is part of the Chinese government’s Intercity Rapid Rail Project to link nine cities in Guangdong Province by 2015, including Shenzhen and Dongguan. The Guang-Fo line will provide service between Lijiao in Guangzhou and KuiqiLu in the neighbouring city of Foshan, serving 21 stations.

From James Stroupe - August 5th 2009 - Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has already begun pre-construction work for the underground viaduct this month, and will now be doing surveys on an approximate 300 buildings to avoid any adverse affects during construction. During this time, above-ground conditions will also be noted for assisting the contractor to design the tunnel boring machine.

The first 4.5 km section of Duplex A86, between Rueil-Malmaison and the A13 motorway interchange in Vaucresson Le Chesna opened on 01.07.2009. The tunnel accommodates three lanes of light traffic in each direction on two levels. Built and managed by Cofiroute, it will be used by 20,000 vehicles/day

Construction of 58.1 km of subway lines 1, 2 and 4 commenced on 25.07.2009 at Dalian, one of the largest cities in northeast China's Liaoning Province, where a total of nine lines is proposed with an overall length of 262.9 km. On the first three lines, trains travelling at 80km/h will carry 38,000 people every hour. Lines 1 and 2 are expected to be complete by 2012, with line 4 taking longer. The cost is estimated at EUR2.26 billion. A detailed plan for the remaining six lines is underway. Visit www.dalian-gov.net. 32/09.

Indian Railways has almost completed the 7.5 km stretch of its 11 km Pir Panjal tunnel project in the State of Kashmir, the longest tunnel in the country The remaining 3.5 km is scheduled for completion in late 2010. The section has been built using NATM techniques at a cost of approximately EUR94 million. The tunnel has an overburden of 1,100 m, and surfaces 440 m below the existing 2.75 km Jawahar road tunnel on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway.

Work began in July, 2009 on the new stretch of Sofia metro line 1 to connect the Obelisk - Serdika and Vasil Levski Stadium - Mladost 1 sections, which themselves will be linked by end-September, 2009 with the international airport. The contract includes the construction of an underground car park with 1,500 places below Tsarigradsko Shosse at Inter Expo Centre, which will be directly connected to the metro. The project, value EUR94 million, could be completed in 39 months. The funding is mixed, 50% from a loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) to the municipality of Sofia, and the rest from municipal consortium Metropoliten EAD. Contractors are Trace Group and Stroyinjekt. Click bg/11. Visit www.tracebg.com and www.stroyinject.com. 31/09.