Articles By Subject: Drill & Blast Tunnels
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Croton tunnels JV wins accolade
The joint venture comprising Schiavone Construction and John P Picone has won the 2012 Alliant Build America Award for Best New Municipal & Utilities Project Full story...US tunnel designated a landmark
Utah’s Zion-Mount Carmel highway and tunnel have been designated National Historic Engineering Landmarks by the American Society of Civil Engineer Full story...Veidekke wins power contract in Norway
Veidekke Entreprenør has signed a contract for the construction of a new transfer tunnel and other work to a power station in Norway Full story...Sandvik starts to Twitter
Sandvik has launched a presence on Twitter – the online social networking and micro-blogging site Full story...
Multi-jumbos drill at speed
Excavation with nine simultaneous tunnel faces at a hydropower installation in Turkey has met highly unstable ground and needed extensive rock bolting plus the use of several drill jumbos Full story...
Triassic park blockbuster
A series of six tunnels is being blasted through a mountainous semi-desert region of northwest Argentina where isolation, geology and high temperatures make the going tough for both men and equipment Full story...MottMac in Norway light rail award
Mott MacDonald has been awarded the detail design, procurement documentation and stakeholder management for Stage 3 of a light transport system for Bergen, Norway. Full story...RETC calls for abstracts
A Call for Papers has been issued by the 2013 Rapid Excavation and Tunnelling Conference (RETC) Organising Committee. June 30 is the deadline Full story...Alpine team wins Stuttgart 21 tunnel
Austria-based Alpine Construction Co has announced that it is part of a team that has been awarded a US$386 million contract for the construction of the Bad Cannstatt feeder tunnel in Stuttgart, Germany Full story...NAT Indianapolis gears up for June launch
The North American Tunnelling conference will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana, US, on June 24-27 Full story...
Atlas Copco rolls out multi-purpose drill rig
Atlas Copco has announced the launch of the Boomer E1 C-DH face-drilling rig, hailed as one of the biggest diesel-hydraulic rigs on the market Full story...Veidekke and Hochtief sign Norwegian road-rail deal
Veidekke and Hochtief have signed a US$271 million contract to provide services for the new road and railway construction between Brøhaug and Strandlykkja, by Lake Mjøsa in Norway Full story...Monaco launches traffic-busting city tunnel
Monaco has embarked on a US$131 million tunnel project, aimed at easing traffic on one of the Principality’s most heavily used entrances – the Boulevard de Jardin Exotique Full story...
Bright start at Brenner
Work has begun on the Brenner Base Tunnel, which, when complete, will increase rail freight traffic through the Alps. Rodney Craig reports Full story...Veidekke wins cavern parking contract with Straume Parkering
Norway-based contractor Veidekke Entreprenør has signed a contract with Straume Parkering for the construction of a 1,500-space car park, which will be built in an underground rock cavern at Sotra, west of Bergen in Norway Full story...Sanctions
Sanctions on the Iranian regime will probably have a crippling effect on the country's civil tunnelling sector. But whether they will affect the progress of the alleged nuclear weapons programme is debatable Full story...Optimising the drilling process
Recent improvements in drill rig technology have ushered in cost, speed and efficiency benefits for the drill and blast process Full story...
G2T gaining momentum
In the first of a two-part article, Gregg Davidson discusses the history and design of the Gorge second power tunnel in Washington state, US Full story...
Software spur for hard rock
Per Eriksson, Gunnar Nord and Dave Kay look at how the latest digital technologies are affecting the drill and blast process Full story...
Stockholm city line scoops STUVA prize
STUVA, the German research body for Underground Transportation Facilities, has awarded its 2011 prize to the Citybanan project in Stockholm Full story...
Finns dispute rising tunnel costs
Finland-based Helsingin Sanomat reports that a row has broken out over dramatically increased construction costs on Helsinki’s Ring Rail line Full story...
Royal accolade for Hindhead engineer
Paul Arnold, the project manager leading the design and construction of the Hindhead tunnel in Surrey, England, has been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list Full story...
Ultra-wide iron ore tunnel in full swing
Work is progressing well on Brazil's record-breaking, 20.5m-wide Porto Sudeste tunnel, which will have enough capacity to accommodate four ore-conveying lines Full story...Ultra-wide iron ore tunnel in full swing
Work is progressing well on Brazil's 20.5m-wide Porto Sudeste tunnel which will have enough capacity to accommodate four ore-conveying lines Full story...UK tunnelling bucks construction gloom
New forecasts show that the current economic uncertainty shrouding UK construction looks set to continue, although tunnelling is still booming Full story...Merry Christmas and happy new year from the WTO team
This is the last World Tunnelling Online (WTO) newsletter for 2011. The WTO team would like to wish all our readers and advertisers a successful and prosperous New Year. Full story...Hungarian society organising Euro conference
ITA-AITES has endorsed the 1st Eastern European Tunnelling Conference (EETC) 2012, to be held in Budapest, in September Full story...Skanska wins Norwegian rail contract
Norway’s national rail administration, Jernbaneverket, has awarded Skanska a US$235 million contract for the construction of a twin-track railway on the Vestfold Line in the south of the country Full story...Athens symposium in place for March
Backed by the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (ITA-AITES), the Greek Tunnelling Society is organising a two-day symposium on ‘Practices and Trends for Financing and Contracting Tunnels and Underground Works’ Full story...
Hong Kong's new lines
Eric Chui looks at the construction of two key rail lines in Hong Kong, now a major tunnelling centre in Asia Full story...
Twin NATM tunnels for Kashmir
Putzmeister Sika sprayers are applying shotcrete on drill-and-blasted tunnels Full story...
Ensuring good form
Pouring a concrete secondary lining need not be complex, especially if the entire tunnel profile can be formed from a single pour Full story...Athens tunnel symposium gears up for March 2012
Boasting a promising line-up of speakers, the Greek Tunnelling Society is organising a two-day international symposium on 'Practices and Trends for Financing and Contracting Tunnels and Underground Works' to be held in Athens on March 22-23 2012. Full story...
Sandvik jumbos progress Olympic tunnel
Sandvik drill jumbos are said to be playing an important role in the good progress being made in excavating the 1.1km Grota Funda road tunnel for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro Full story...Leighton starts work on India's Chenani Nashri tunnel
Contractor Leighton Welspun has started tunnelling works on India’s 9km-long Chenani Nashri road tunnel, located on National Highway-IA in Jammu and Kashmir Full story...
Rock classification debate continues
Rock classification methods such as the Q-System are debated in World Tunnelling, following two recent articles. Here, Prof W Wittke and Dr R Sommer respond to last month’s response by Dr Nick Barton Full story...
Mega projects draw to a close
Dave Kristy and Melanie Kwee look at two sewer schemes in Melbourne, Australia’s second-largest city, which are designed to satisfy its rapid growth Full story...
Work begins on India's longest road tunnel
Critical aspects in the design of the Chenani-Nashri Tunnel are discussed by L Facibeni, M Palomba, G Carrieri, G Russo and AH Güvenc Full story...
Rock future secured
Norway has been the home of much progress with rockbolts in recent years. Below are three companies that have contributed to this development Full story...Vinci wins El Teniente tunnels contract
French infrastructure provider Vinci – through subsidiaries Vinci Construction Grands Projets and Soletanche Bachy – has won a contract to design and build two tunnels in Chile. Full story...LTA awards final metro contracts
Singapore’s Land Transport Authority has awarded the last three civil contracts totalling US$467 million for its Downtown Line 3 metro project. Full story...New CFO for Normet
Finland-based tunnel and mining technology group Normet has announced that Riku Mäkinen has joined the Group as chief financial officer (CFO). Full story...Maximising resources
The construction of new feeder tunnels is revitalising a decommissioned power station in Norway and maximising natural resources. George Demetri reports Full story...More debate needed
A controversial paper published last month in WT has spawned a strident response in this issue from a well-known tunnel consultant. Both arguments have benefitted WT and its readers Full story...
Longer tunnel gains
Canada is seeing an increasing number of long tunnels being used to access ore deposits. Garry Stevenson reports on two examples from British Columbia Full story...
Greek tunnelling still going strong
Dr George Dounias, vice-president of the Greek Tunnelling Society, outlines the feverish tunnelling activity that has taken place in the country recently Full story...
Let's go to San Francisco
RETC is one of North America's major tunnelling shows. Here is a selective list of exhibitors Full story...Cavico in Algerian breakthrough
Cavico has announced that its manpower and services subsidiary, Cavico CMS, helped to achieve the breakthrough of the right-hand tunnel on the Algeria East-West Highway project’s T1-Camp4 section Full story...
Jumbos join cavern job
Fourteen Sandvik rigs are at work in India to help with the excavation of 25km of tunnels and oil-storage caverns Full story...
Water quality issue at Devil's Slide
High chromium levels, alleged to have been discovered during routine water-quality monitoring at the Devil’s Slide tunnels in California, US, have halted construction to allow engineers to identify the source of the contamination Full story...
Final breakthrough achieved at Gotthard
AlpTransit has announced that final breakthrough has now been achieved in the west tube of the Gotthard base tunnel, Switzerland. Full story...Cavico wins new contract
Cavico Construction Manpower & Services has signed a US$1.3 million contract for work at the Nghi Son cement plant in Thanh Hoa province, Vietnam Full story...Sandvik aid for Asia's longest drill and blast tunnels
The recent breakthrough on Malaysia’s 2.2km Berapit twin tunnels was achieved with the help of two Sandvik DT820-SC tunnelling jumbos Full story...Hauling deep underground
Bill Law of Volvo looks at the use of articulated haulers in a new, twin-track railway tunnel that will run into Oslo, Norway Full story...Two major contract wins on India's Chennai metro
Metro Rail of Chennai, southeast India, recently awarded major construction contracts for the city’s new metro system. Full story...Malta moots subsea tunnel to Gozo
Maltese officials have mooted plans to build a subsea tunnel between Malta and the neighbouring island of Gozo Full story...
Cue Nick Barton
'Leaders' interview: Nick Barton is an internationally acclaimed tunnel engineer, known for devising the Q-system of rock classification Full story...Lemminkäinen wins iron ore mine contract
Finland-based infrastructure firm Lemminkäinen announced that it has won a contract worth around US$60 million involving the construction of 21km of tunnels in northern Sweden for iron ore producer LKAB. Full story...WT names Project of the Year
Two of the world's most impressive tunnelling projects - one in the US, the other in Europe - have won top accolades in World Tunnelling's Project of the Year 2010. But which ones were they? Full story...Supporting role in Chinese caverns
Ming Lu looks at the support design for the caverns on the Qinling Zhongnanshan tunnel, the world’s longest twin-tube road tunnel Full story...Fibres for safety
Benoit de Rivaz reports on the use of steel fibre-reinforced shotcrete to facilitate site safety in France Full story...Helsinki metro extension on time - so far
Work on extending Helsinki metro’s twin-tube western extension(Länsimetro) – currently Finland’s largest infrastructure project – is proceeding to plan. Full story...Veidekke wins Oslo tunnel project
Veidekke Entreprenør has signed a US$40 million contract with Oslo Water and Sewerage Works (Oslo municipality) for the construction of Midgardsormen sub-project A, involving substantial underground construction at Bekkelaget treatment plant. Full story...Breakthrough for Cavico on Vietnam hydro project
Vietnam-based infrastructure construction company Cavico recently announced that its subsidiary, Cavico Hydropower, had broken through on the main tunnel at the Dong Nai 4 hydropower project in Vietnam. Full story...
One more tunnel for Helsinki
George Demetri visited new construction projects that will boost the city’s rail services and could mark the start of a Finnish tunnelling boom Full story...
Reaching new heights
A hydro-electric project carving out a new powerhouse inside a Swiss mountain features a maze of drill and blasted tunnels Full story...Sochi tunnel conference ready to roll
The year's tunnel conference circuit gets underway next month with a major conference organised by the RTA and ITA-AITES in Sochi, Russia. Full story...Cavico Bridge and Tunnel in new contract win
Cavico Bridge and Tunnel signs contract for tunnelling works at Bac Coc Sau coal mine project in Vietnam. Full story...
World Tunnelling Project of the Year 2010 results
World Tunnelling has announced its Project of the Year for 2010. And the winner is…. Full story...Lemminkäinen wins Swedish iron ore tunnels contract
Finnish infrastructure contractor Lemminkäinen has won a US$59 million contract to build over 21km of tunnels for LKAB’s iron ore mine in Kiruna, Sweden. Full story...Copenhagen metro extension contract for Salini
Italian infrastructure construction company Salini Costruttori has been awarded the contract to build the 15.5km-long Cityringen circle line, in Copenhagen, Denmark. Full story...Lemminkäinen wins Swedish iron ore tunnels contract
Finnish infrastructure contractor Lemminkäinen has won a US$59 million contract to build over 21km of tunnels for LKAB’s iron ore mine in Kiruna, Sweden. Full story...Project of the Year 2010 announced. The winner is...
It's been a good year for completed tunnel projects. With numerous contenders for the title, the winning Project 2010 is.... Full story...A dream come true
Jack Burke reports on the progress of the East Side Access project in New York, which is finally nearing a successful conclusion Full story...Three dams and a tunnel to aid India’s water shortage
The authorities in Mumbai, India, are planning to build a 43km-long tunnel to connect three new dams in a bid to increase the city’s water supply dramatically Full story...Atlas Copco unveils direct-control rig for large tunnels
Atlas Copco has launched the Boomer XL3 D, designed for users who prefer a traditional, direct control system when drilling large tunnel cross-sections. Full story...
A steady advance
Barbara Stack looks at some of the developments that have helped to make drills more efficient Full story...Shotcreting up on high
Groundwater and deformation are just two of the problems on this twin-bore tunnel in mountainous west China Full story...State-of-the-art concrete
Edwin Brady outlines some historic developments that have occurred in shotcrete application, with reference to two recent projects Full story...On the brink
It has been a turbulent few weeks for the troubled ARC Tunnel, designed to link New Jersey (NJ) and Manhattan. Perhaps we should have sensed a bad omen when Governor Chris Christie recently threatened to divert funds from the project into other transport sectors. Full story...Devil's Slide northbound bore punch-through
Kiewit tunnelling crews have broken through four weeks ahead of schedule on the northbound bore of the Devil’s Slide tunnel project in San Mateo County, California, following three years of tunnelling. Full story...New microsite for Stirling Lloyd
Waterproofing specialist Stirling Lloyd has launched a new microsite dedicated to the concept of ‘seamless waterproofing to create watertight tunnels.’ Full story...Atlas Copco rolls out compact Boomer T1 D
Atlas Copco has unveiled the new Boomer T1 D face-drilling rig, designed for working in narrow tunnels. Full story...
Setting an example
F Nilsen and RG Haug suggest the performance, safety and quality of Norwegian tunnelling could prove a good model for other countries to follow Full story...
Industry Leaders' Round Table
Some of the top players in the drill and blast sector took part in World Tunnelling's recent Drill and Blast Tele-conference. Read the edited transcript Full story...
ARC Hudson tunnel cancelled...for now
Following a temporary halt to construction work on the ARC tunnel beneath the Hudson river, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has cancelled the project. Full story...Putzmeister launches new web site
Germany-based Putzmeister, which has been active in the concrete-spraying market for more than a decade, has launched a new website dealing with shotcrete technology in tunnelling and mining. Full story...Norway shows the way
Much debate in Norway has centred around its oil industry, but the recent blow-out in the Gulf of Mexico has served to focus more attention on sub-sea tunnelling for oil production. Full story...
Norwegian lessons travel to China
With excavation now complete, east China’s Qingdao tunnel is well on the way to its official opening, having drawn heavily on Norwegian experience of subsea tunnels. By SM Zhou and M Lu Full story...Clem7 excavation and support
M Funkhouser, J Stabler, L McQueen and N Boultbee discuss the geotechnical aspects of conventional tunnelling on Brisbane’s recently completed road tunnel Full story...
Academic and practical
A leading light in Norwegian tunnelling, Emeritus Professor Einar Broch has advised and lectured extensively around the world Full story...
Just 10m of drill and blast left on Gotthard Base Tunnel
Alp Transit has announced that there remain just 10m of drilling and blasting on the 57km-long Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT) in Switzerland. Full story...Kier awarded tunnel contract
UK-based Kier Construction has won part of a US$193 million tunnelling contract awarded by Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation for part of the Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL) connecting mainland China and Hong Kong. Full story...MTR awards XRL tunnel contract to Leighton/Gammon JV
Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation has awarded a US$360 million rail infrastructure project to a JV that comprises Leighton Asia and Gammon Construction. Full story...Green, getting greener
George Demetri on recent advances in tunnel sustainability, particularly in the use of aggregates and sprayed concrete linings. Full story...
Quick job in Quebec
Clair H Murdock and Ron W Glowe discuss the excavation of the Rupert Transfer Tunnel at James Bay, Québec, Canada, finished well ahead of schedule using top heading and bench excavation Full story...
Tunnelling through Flysch: some practical experience
V Vesely and O Jandejsek of Arcadis Geotechnika outline their experience of the geotechnical risks encountered in the project phases of survey, data evaluation, design and construction Full story...
Playing a defining role
Rick Staples, president of the Tunnelling Association of Canada, has played a defining part in organising the successful World Tunnel Congress in Vancouver last May. Here he reveals more about his career and other topical tunnel themes. Full story...
Gotthard closing, Ceneri advancing
The Gotthard and Ceneri Base tunnels in Switzerland will create a 'flat' route through the Alps. Dr Renzo Simoni, CEO of Alp Transit Gotthard, reports Full story...Tunnel Alerts
Tunnel Alerts is a new feature that aims to bring you breaking news of tunnel contracts globally. Full story...Brisbane Airport pour
Swiss-based Ceresola has announced that two of the eight tunnel formwork units it will eventually supply have been used to pour the first sections on Brisbane’s Airport Link in Australia Full story...
Safer subterranean Singapore
LJ Pakianathan (Mott MacDonald Singapore), S McChesney (Land Transport Authority) and M Mannot-Russell (CH2M) report on recent safety legislation in Singapore Full story...Change of heart over Doha tunnel
A planned US$1 billion subsea tunnel beneath Doha Bay in Qatar could be replaced by a bridge if the oil/gas-rich Gulf state approves plans for an alternative fixed link Full story...Fibre-rich tunnel
Benoit de Rivaz reports on the steel-fibre technology used in a high-stress access tunnel on a major rail line Full story...Leighton India wins tunnel
Leighton India has been awarded a contract to build and operate what has been hailed as one of the longest road tunnels in Asia Full story...Tehran metro set for further growth
The Tehran metro, one of the Middle East’s largest transit systems, is expected to experience even greater growth. Full story...Eight vie over Baghdad metro contract
Eight foreign firms have been shortlisted as possible contenders for Baghdad’s long-awaited US$3 billion metro scheme. Full story...Tunnel mooted for Nicosia
The Government of Cyprus is looking at the construction of a 1.7km-long tunnel beneath Nicosia that would relieve the capital’s severe rush-hour congestion Full story...Mining for Oil
Given the recent Deepwater Horizon drilling rig disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, it might be time to look at other safer, more sustainable methods for extracting oil - such as tunnelling. Full story...
New appointment at Normet
Normet International has announced that Dr Roar Myrdal (right) has been appointed “technical director, chemicals, mining and tunnelling” Full story...NSW government unveils infrastructure masterplan
The Government of New South Wales in Australia is to invest US$5.9 billion in transport infrastructure from its 2010-11 budget, as part of an overall 10-year, US$42.5 billion Metropolitan Transport Plan Full story...Bouygues wins HK tunnel contract
Dragages Hong Kong, subsidiary of Bouygues Construction, has signed a US$446 million contract for the construction of two parallel, single-track tunnels, each 3.5km long, in Hong Kong. Full story...
Tunnel for Germany-Denmark link?
The proposal for a tunnel for the Fehmarnbelt crossing between Germany and Denmark looks set to be brought back into the frame, following a re-evaluation by two sets of consultant consortia. Full story...
Learning from Hindhead
Tony Rock and Simon Stephenson of UK-based Mott MacDonald share some experiences gained during the construction of the Hindhead Tunnel in Surrey, UK Full story...
A career rich in variety
Toronto-based Boro Lukajic has contributed extensively to both Canadian and international tunnelling. He was president of the Tunnelling Association of Canada from 1993-98 Full story...
Subway to the future
Jack Burke and Jim Rostek of S3II Tunnel Constructors report on the extension to New York’s 7 Subway Line Full story...
All booked up
The North American Tunnelling 2010 (NAT) conference and exhibition arrives in Portland, US, on June 20-23. WT looks at some of the exhibitors Full story...RETC 2011 call for papers
A call for papers has been issued by the committee organising RETC 2011 (the Rapid Excavation and Tunnelling Conference), which will be held in San Francisco, US on June 19-22. Full story...Crossrail in the balance
The UK has a new coalition government but will cuts needed to reduce the country's gargantuan budget deficit mean postponement for Crossrail? Full story...Sao Paulo wins US$650m World Bank loan
Traffic-choked Sao Paolo, Brazil, has been recently approved for a US$650 million loan from the World Bank to extend its metro Line 5. Full story...Strabag wins Swiss tunnel project
European construction group Strabag has won a US$77 million contract for the construction of the Küblis bypass tunnel in Switzerland Full story...
Blast-driving Ceneri tunnels begins while Gothard work continues
Blasting work to drive the main Ceneri Base Tunnel (CBT) began recently with a ceremonial first blast in the installations cavern at Sigirino. Full story...
Lunar tech to revolutionise tunnel navigation?
A new positioning and locating system to be launched in the autumn, devised primarily for mining, could revolutionise tunnel navigation, whether operators are using TBM or drill and blast. Full story...
Key section of NY water tunnel completed
New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has announced the completion of a key phase of work on the Manhattan section of City Water Tunnel No.3 (CWT3). Full story...
Sandvik- MEYCO agreement update
In September 2009, BASF’s unit MEYCO Equipment and Sandvik Mining and Construction signed an agreement on a global cooperation in the field of tunnelling and mining. Full story...GIA engaged on Hong Kong tunnel
Work has started on Hong Kong’s West Drainage Tunnel to avoid flooding; helping the effort are three GIA Häggloaders and three locomotives. Full story...Bilfinger Berger builds Stockholm ring road
German construction group Bilfinger Berger is designing and building a new section of ring road in Stockholm, that will include a number of tunnels. Full story...New president for Brookville
Larry J Conrad has been appointed president of tunnel and mine equipment maker Brookville Equipment Corporation. Full story...BAM Nuttall begins Glendoe remediation
BAM Nuttall has been awarded the remedial work at the US$247 million Glendoe hydro power station in Scotland. Full story...Normet buys 40% of chemical maker TAM
Normet Group has announced that it has acquired 40% of chemicals manufacturer and supplier TAM International. Full story...
New tunnel books published
Publisher CRC Press Balkema (Taylor & Francis Group) has recently added two new books to its tunnelling and underground construction series of titles. Full story...
Flatiron scoops project award
Construction and civil engineering contractor, Flatiron has been honoured for its work on the Lenihan Dam Outlet Modifications project in Los Gatos, California. Full story...
Tunnelling academy gets funding boost
The UK Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has given approval to £5 million funding for a Tunnelling and Underground Construction Academy in Ilford, London Full story...What, where, when, why and who?
It's good to get feedback from readers, so I was heartened to hear from an eminent and well-known tunnelling author (see p10-11), responding to a point from the last roundtable. Full story...
Latin crossings
South America is seeing a tunnelling boom, including metro, road, stormwater, hydro and mining tunnels, writes Dean Brox Full story...
A new station for Sao Paulo
Marco Aurélio A. Peixoto da Silva, Hugo Cássio Rocha and Francisco Ribeiro Neto on the design and construction of the Alto do Ipiranga station in Sao Paulo, Brazil Full story...
Bogong hydro scheme goes online
Paul Thomas and Jimmy Molea of McConnell Dowell highlight the tunnelling components of Australia’s largest hydropower project for 25 years Full story...First Crossrail tunnel contract awarded
A joint venture comprising Costain and Skanska has been awarded a US$22.7 million contract by Crossrail. Full story...'Challenges for German tunnelling'
Tunnel construction in Germany will face major challenges in 2010, according to STUVA chairman and board member Edgar Schömig. Full story...
Halcrow wins ‘milestone’ Hong Kong tunnel job
UK-based infrastructure designer Halcrow has announced that it has won the detailed design for a ‘milestone’ tunnel project in Hong Kong. Full story...Hochtief subsidiaries win Prague metro extension
German infrastructure development company Hochtief has announced it has won a contract to extend Line A of the Prague metro. Full story...
Your ITA needs you
The recent WT Roundtable raised serious questions about the function of the International Tunnelling Association (ITA). Here is an edited transcript of the debate Full story...
The big fair with the best ware
With Bauma just around the corner on April 19-25 at the New Munich Trade Fair Centre in Munich, Germany, we take a look at selected exhibitors from the tunnelling sector Full story...
Free as a bird
A geologist and civil engineer by training, Boston area-based geoconsultant Dr Peter J Tarkoy is a controversial and self-styled visionary in the tunnelling industry. He talks to George Demetri Full story...Positive start for Normet
Normet has announced a promising start to 2010 with a capacity expansion in Finland, a new spare-parts centre in Holland and a big order from Hong Kong Full story...
New appointment at Normet
Normet International has appointed Odd-Bjørn Kleven as director of tunnelling and special projects, a position which he has already taken up. Full story...UK tunnel/shaft lining spec nears
British Precast, the trade body for the UK concrete products industry, has started preparing a new specification for precast tunnel and shaft linings. Full story...New blood needed
WT's roundtable event held in Hamburg in November threw up some interesting questions, one of which was how to attract young new recruits into the industry. Full story...
Water caverns a first for Hong Kong
Providing underground salt-water caverns for the University of Hong Kong proved an environmental and engineering challenge. TH Chan, Derek Arnold, Edwin KF Chung and Chris CW Chan report Full story...
Poor rock is tough luck at Dakmi 4
Drill and blast tunnelling on Vietnam’s Dakmi 4 hydropower station is well under way, despite the difficult rock conditions being experienced Full story...
Talking jumbos
Carly Lovejoy spoke to Pekka Nieminen of Sandvik Mining and Construction, Mathias Edhammer of Atlas Copco, and Witold Hnat of MineMaster Full story...
World Tunnelling Industry Leaders' Round Table
Welcome to the second World Tunnelling roundtable. We invited some of the top minds in international tunnelling from engineering consultancy, contractors and equipment manufacturers to meet last year in Hamburg on November 30 – the eve of STUVA – to discuss some of the most talked about issues in tunnelling. It turned out to be a memorable discussion. Full story...Cavico announces breakthroughs
Vietnam-based infrastructure development firm Cavico has announced that its subsidiaries, Cavico Mining and Cavico Power and Resource Construction (CPRC), have broken through at two major tunnel projects. Full story...Skanska to build Kvis Tunnel
Scandinavia-based construction group Skanska has been awarded a US$60 million contract by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (Statens Vegvesen) for the construction of an 8km stretch of road and tunnel in the country’s central region Full story...New CEO at Parsons Brinckerhoff
Parsons Brinckerhoff has appointed George J Pierson as chief executive officer, effective on January 1, 2010. He is currently president and COO of the firm’s Americas division, and succeeds Keith J Hawksworth, who becomes chairman Full story...A man for all seasons
San Francisco-based Dr Glenn Boyce, senior associate at Jacobs Associates, is one of few engineers to specialise in tunnelling and trenchlesss. By George Demetri Full story...STUVA bangs the drum for safe tunnelling
STUVA organisers have expressed satisfaction at the success of their recent tunnelling event in Hamburg, Germany, on 1-3 December Full story...PEAB scoops yet another Swedish railway project
Leading Scandinavian contractor Peab is to build a 1.8km-long tunnel as part of a newly won US$78 million contract involving the construction of a section of the Hede-Älvängen railway between Gothenburg and Trollhättan in Sweden Full story...LaserShell paper wins engineer award
A UK-based engineering manager working for infrastructure provider Morgan Est has won a prestigious prize for a paper he wrote on LaserShell, the sprayed-concrete lining method Full story...Brisbane looks down under for transport improvements
Proposals for an underground rail network to be built in Brisbane, Australia, form part of sweeping plans to modernise public transport in the city, which were unveiled recently by the Queensland State Government. Full story...Normet establishes Canadian base
Normet, the Finland-based manufacturer of underground construction and mining equipment, has announced the formation of Normet Canada, the 15th country in which the company has gained a permanent presence Full story...Sandvik-BASF tie-up gets off the starting blocks
Further progress has been made on the recently-announced co-operation between Sandvik and BASF-Meyco Full story...
Good progress on Indian underground caverns
Excavation is progressing well on India’s first underground crude oil-storage caverns at Visakhapatnam in the south of the country. Full story...
Between a rock and a hard place
The Halcrow-designed Shis-Diftah road tunnel, currently on site in Sharjah and being drilled and blasted through the UAE’s highest mountain range, faces an array of challenges. George Demetri reports Full story...InnoTrans organiser claims healthy bookings for 2010 exhibition
Display space at the rail-transport-technology fair InnoTrans 2010 is almost all booked up, according to organizer Berlin-based Messe Berlin Full story...NCC wins road and tunnel construction deal
NCC Construction Norway has won a US$93.6 million road contract in Norway that includes the construction of a 300m tunnel Full story...
Sandvik opens largest production facility
Sandvik Mining and Construction has opened a new 24,000m2 plant in Shanghai, China, which it says is the largest production facility it has opened to date Full story...Koralm phase two bids invited
Austrian Federal Railways is expected this month to invite bids for the construction of Phase 2 of the US$3.5 billion Koralm tunnel Full story...Bouygues triumphs in Miami
France’s Bouygues Travaux Publics has won a US$656 million contract to build the long-awaited Port of Miami tunnel in Florida, US Full story...Strabag bags US$222 million Indian tunnel contract
One of Europe’s largest construction companies, Strabag AG Austria, has been awarded the tender for the construction of the 8.8km Rohtang Pass Highway Tunnel in the western Himalaya region of northern India Full story...Blast off with Orica eDevTM
Orica, one of the world’s leading developers of electronic blasting systems, recently launched its newest – eDevTM Full story...Liebherr crane conveyor handles hoisting
Liebherr has developed the KFA Crane Conveying System for the Machine Technology Service Centre in Germany, operated by Bilfinger Berger, to handle hoisting during tunnel projects Full story...Spray-applied membranes
Dr Wolfgang Aldrian of BASF Construction Chemicals and Robert Giefing of IAT, Vienna, discuss some recent spray-applied waterproof membrane projects Full story...
Carry on tunnelling
Scandinavia is one of the world’s busiest tunnelling regions. George Demetri takes a look at some of the work in progress Full story...
Atlas Copco rolls out ROC T35M
The new ROC T35M surface-crawler drill rig is equipped with a highly productive, well-proven COP 1840 rock drill with 18kW drilling power for a high penetration rate Full story...
NATM flies to Delhi airport
Johann Brandl of Salzburg-based Geoconsult ZT in Austria checks the progress of NATM tunnelling works to Delhi Airport – only the second time it has been used in India Full story...
World's biggest tunnel project ends
Imagine cities without cars, where carcinogenic dust and noise are confined to below ground and city parks form the refreshing, clean oases that they are meant to be Full story...Civils 2009 ready to roll
On November 25-26, Earls Court 2 in London, UK, opens its doors for the Civils show, hailed as the UK’s definitive civil engineering showcase comprising manufacturers, suppliers, contractors and consultants from all areas of the industry. Full story...More education please - CSM-style
Three days at the Colorado School of Mines have impressed George Demetri. Full story...UAE's longest road tunnel emerges
The first of two tunnel breakthroughs has been hailed as a milestone as Sharjah’s – and the UAE’s - longest rock tunnel, located on the Diftah-Shis highway. Full story...Rock-solid proposition for high-stress environments
Erich Neugebauer outlines the principles behind Atlas Copco’s Roofex – a flexible, supporting and yielding rockbolt aimed at high stress conditions Full story...Veidekke wins Norwegian tunnels and motorway contract
Scandinavian contractor Veidekke is to build a stretch of motorway in Norway that includes an assortment of road tunnels Full story...Are you ready for 2010?
Starting in January 2010, World Tunnelling will be giving its readers the chance to promote their tunnel projects in our ‘Project 2010’ feature. Projects can be recently completed or near completion Full story...Rapid drill and blast with fast muck
Stig Eriksson, of Skanska Infrastructure Development, describes a high-speed drill and blast project in Switzerland and details the innovative mucking system used Full story...Deadline extended for Prague 2010
The deadline for receipt of abstracts for the Underground Constructions Prague 2010 conference has been extended to September 15. Full story...Golden short course ready for take-off at CSM
‘Breakthroughs in Tunnelling’ is a three-day short course (September 23-25 2009) to be held at the Colorado School of Mines, US. Full story...
Bibra forms key high-speed rail link
Drill and blast from both ends is driving Germany’s horseshoe-shaped, twin-tube Bibra tunnel as part of German and European high speed rail networks. Former World Tunnelling editor Lawrence Williams reports. Full story...Staffing in difficult times
A tunnel engineer for over 40 years, Barrie Willis has worked mainly on major international projects, including the UK’s twin Mersey tunnels, before taking up his post managing the tunnel department at Netherlands-based personnel supplier IPS Group. Full story..."Avant-garde" proposal
Chilean architects have proposed the construction of a 150km tunnel from landlocked Bolivia to an artificial island in the Pacific Ocean. Full story...Minova expands resin production
Mining and construction consumables producer Minova has expanded its Minetek plant in Hyderabad, India. Full story...CzTA calls for papers on transport and city tunnels
The Czech Tunnelling Association (CzTA) has announced a call for papers for the 11th International Conference of Underground Construction, held in Prague, Czech Republic, on June 14-16, 2010. Full story...Hindhead A3 tunnels update
Early contractor involvement and leading edge design and construction thinking have delivered flexibility and programme wins, says Tony Rock of consulting engineer Mott MacDonald. Full story...Leading on risk
Professor Arnold Dix of Queensland University of Technology and an independent consultant, is a technical/legal expert advisor and world authority on managing the risks associated with tunnels and underground infrastructures. He also specialises in operational safety, as well as in contractual, political and insurance issues for complex tunnel projects. Full story...Saudi tunnel will boost tourism
Saudi Arabia is looking into the possibility of constructing an 11km tunnel that would drastically reduce the travel time between the cities of Mecca and Taif in the western part of the Saudi kingdom, reports Syed Rashid Ali. Full story...Classy tunnel offering
Mining engineer Pekka Nieminen is global product line manager of tunnelling and underground civil engineering at Sandvik, Finland. He joined Tampella Tamrock, now Sandvik, in 1987 and has been with the company ever since. With ten years’ tunnelling experience, Pekka has headed Sandvik’s tunnel division since 2006 Full story...
Paving the way for a talc mine
MAIN contractor Skanska BS is using drill and blast to excavate a 4.2km access tunnel for the development of a talc mine in Slovakia. Full story...Tunnel or bridge?
Linking Denmark and Germany, the Fehmarnbelt marine crossing will, when complete, be the world’s longest combined road and railway tunnels. Full story...Indian infrastructure wheels start to turn slowly
Infrastructure spending may be starting to have a beneficial effect on the Indian economy, given the recent flurry of activity on the hydro-electric front. Full story...The art of drill plan design
DRILL plan design and drilling equipment accuracy play a significant role in the overall control and productiveness of a tunnelling construction site. Full story...Brookville advances
Brookville Equipment Corporation (BEC), manufacturer of custom underground haulage locomotives and personnel carriers, has announced it continues to make improvements to the efficiency, safety and comfort of its rail-mounted units. Full story...Putzmeister's wet spray
Two of Putzmeister’s SPM 500 PC wet-spray concrete machines are being used to apply shotcrete on the B29 Schwäbisch Gmünd by-pass road tunnel in Germany Full story...
Budapest opens its doors to WTC
Budapest, Hungary, will be hosting the 2009 World Tunnel Congress and 35th ITA-AITES General Assembly between May 23 and 28. Full story...Dix optimistic on stimulus packages
Despite the global economy almost going into free fall, opportunities for tunnelling consultants are better than ever, according to Professor Arnold Dix, chairman of the Contractual Practices Group at the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association. Full story...Norwegian tunnel scholar dies
Tor Brekke, viewed by many as a leading light in the US tunnelling firmament, died recently, aged 75. Full story...'Imitate or Innovate' theme for tunnel symposium
Anyone involved in tunnel ventilation may be interested to know that BHR Group is inviting registrations for its 13th International Symposium on tunnel aerodynamics & ventilation, to be held in New Brunswick, US, on May 13-15. Full story...Wayss & Freytag share Silbertunnel contract win
German tunnel specialist Wayss and Freytag Ingenierbau, owned by the Dutch Royal BAM Group, is part of a JV awarded the contract to build the 7.4km-long Silberberg rail tunnel near Grossbreitenbach, Germany. Full story...In Charge and Upbeat
Marek Grocholewski trained as a civil engineer in his native Poland and now heads Minova’s tunnelling division. Based in Germany, he has experience of both the tunnelling and mining sectors. Here, he speaks to George Demetri about his current role and some of the issues facing the industry. Full story...Immersed in discussion
You may notice that a substantial part of this magazine (pp21-31) is taken up by the World Tunnelling round table, held in Sargans, Switzerland on September 16. Full story...READ THE LATEST PRINT EDITION:
WT June 2012
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