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A consortium led by VINCI Construction, together with Spie batignolles, has won a €400M contract on the Metro Line 14 South as part of the Grand Paris Rapid Express transit system. The contract includes 4.6 km of TBM driven tunnel and the construction of the new Kremlin Bicêtre Hôpital station.

Project Program Manager, the RATP has selected the consortium to execute works package GC02 between Olympiades (in the 13th arrondissement of Paris) and Orly Airport. The contract requires the use of an EPBM to excavate the tunnel between Maison Blanche Paris XIII futur station and the TBM start shaft at Jean Prouvé.

The contract is scheduled to last 72 months.

A missing link between central Paris and Orly Airport, Line 14 South will be used by more than 260,000 residents of Paris and the Val de Marne and Essonne départements. It will provide connections with Metro Line 7, Line C of the Paris RER regional express system, Line 7 of the tram system and Lines 15 South and 18 of the Grand Paris Express rapid transit system. It will create a much-needed fast link between Paris and Orly Airport, which is essential for 2024 when the city will host the Olympic Games.
VINCI Construction and Spie batignolles are already working on the extensions of Lines 4, 12, and 14 of the Paris Metro, also managed by the RATP. In addition, VINCI Construction and Spie batignolles, in consortium, have won works packages T3C (€926M) and T2D (€156M) for Line 15 South of the Grand Paris Express programme.

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The Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) is inviting suitably qualified individuals to submit expressions of interest to serve on its Engineering Panel of Experts for Phase II of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project. The project includes the construction of a 38km long, 5m diameter water transfer tunnel, by both TBM and Drill & Blast.

The Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) is a multi-disciplinary, multi-phase, bi-national project undertaken by the Governments of the Kingdom of Lesotho and of the Republic of South Africa in accordance with a Treaty signed between the two countries in 1986. The Project scope includes a concrete-faced rockfill dam (CFRD) 165m high, the 38km long water transfer tunnel, a road bridge over 500m long and 100m high, and all associated enabling infrastructure (roads, bridges, power supply, telecommunications, site establishment, operators facilities).

LHDA intends to appoint an engineering Panel of Experts (PoE) to independently verify, determine and assure that all the physical components of the Project are designed and constructed to provide the most functional, economical and cost effective structures, consistent with internationally recognised standards. The duty of the PoE is to provide technical advisory services to enable LHDA to effectively fulfil its quality assurance and risk management function during the implementation of the Project by:

• Reviewing technical criteria, designs and reports submitted by engineering consultants
• Assessing construction methods and programmes proposed by the consultants and contractors
• Reviewing construction progress and performance against designs and specifications

Therefore at least one expert in each of the following disciplines is anticipated:

• Design and construction of major bridges
• Design and construction of concrete-faced rockfill dams (CFRDs), including hydraulic structures
• Tunnelling and tunnel structures (design and construction) for water and hydropower projects
• Geology and geotechnical engineering
• Mechanical and electrical engineering for water and hydropower projects
• Construction and contract law for major civil engineering projects (this may be an individual or a firm with one or more practicing professionals who specialize in this discipline)

The LHDA now invites eligible persons to indicate their interest in providing the services. Applicants shall be fluent in English and possess:

• Appropriate and relevant qualifications combined with extensive practical experience
• Professional accreditation with appropriate and regionally- or internationally-recognized institutions
• Over 25 years’ experience within the specified field and publication of at least 5 technical papers that were published internationally or presented at international conferences
• Experience on similar PoE assignments will be a significant advantage. In addition, experts shall meet specific requirements as below:

1. Bridge expert shall have over 20 years’ experience in the design and construction supervision of bridges, including structures greater than 400m long and 100m high
2. CFRD expert shall have over 20 years’ experience in the design and construction supervision of bulk water infrastructure including CFRD exceeding 140m in height
3. Tunnelling expert shall have over 20 years’ experience in the design and construction of tunnels at least 4m diameter, including water transfer or hydropower tunnels in hard rock, excavated by tunnel boring machine and by drill and blast methods
4. Geology and geotechnical engineering expert shall have over 20 years’ experience in the investigation, analysis, design and construction of excavations, foundations and tunnels for major civil engineering projects, including experience of construction in basalt rock
5. Electro-mechanical expert shall have over 20 years’ experience in the design, manufacture and installation of large hydraulic control equipment (gates, valves, penstocks) and small hydropower equipment
6. Construction and contracts expert shall have over 20 years’ experience in construction of heavy civil engineering projects, including the procurement and contract administration of major works (e.g. dams, tunnels and major bridges) of at least USD 250 million, under the FIDIC ‘red book’ form of contract. Prior experience as the FIDIC Engineer would be an advantage.

Qualified persons are requested to provide CVs clearly demonstrating that they meet the above criteria. Persons employed by firms already engaged under any engineering contract on LHWP Phase II are not eligible for appointment on the PoE. Any potential conflict of interest should be declared with the application.

Clarifications may be requested by email to procurement@lhwp2pmu.co.ls. Electronic submissions (in .pdf or other unalterable format) are requested on or before 19 March 2018 at 15:00 local time with the subject-line “EOI for LHWP2 Engineering Panel of Experts” to the email address indicated above. Shortlisted applicants will be invited for interviews and negotiations.

The LHDA recently awarded the contract for designing and supervising the construction of the Polihali water transfer tunnel, the largest of all the Phase II engineering design contracts, to the Metsi a Senqu-Khubelu Consultants (MSKC) joint venture. Work on the approximately M900M design and construction supervision contract commenced in December 2017.

“The appointment is a significant milestone in the implementation of Phase II,” commented Mr Samonyane Ntsekele MP, the Lesotho’s Minister of Water. “The MSKC joint venture combines local, regional and international tunnel experts, well qualified to deliver on the brief within the timeframe and to the highest standards.”

MSKC comprises Lesotho-based FM Associates (Pty) Ltd, and South African firms Aurecon South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Hatch Africa (Pry) Ltd, Knight Piesold (Pty) Ltd and SMEC South Africa (Pty) Ltd. Sub- consultants include White Life Consultants (Pty) Ltd, Lesotho; S5 Construction Consultants, Lesotho; and ILISO Consulting (Pty) Ltd, South Africa.

The consultant’s scope of services includes reviewing the existing project information and preparing the preliminary design of the transfer tunnel; preparing the tender design for the construction of the tunnel, tender drawings and tender documents; supporting the LHDA through the contractor tender and contract award process, preparing construction design and drawings, and providing contract management services during the construction of the tunnel.

Training LHDA staff for the purposes of operating and maintaining the tunnel is part of the skills and technology transfer element of the project. The project also makes provision for the training of Young Professionals.

The 38km transfer tunnel will transfer water by gravity from Phase II’s Polihali reservoir in the Mokhotlong district into the Katse reservoir for eventual delivery to South Africa via the existing transfer scheme. Construction of the tunnel is expected to commence in 2020 and to be completed by the end of 2025.

Phase II of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project builds on the successful completion of Phase I in 2003. It delivers water to the Gauteng region of South Africa and utilises the water delivery system to generate hydro-electricity for Lesotho. Phase II will ensure a reliable water supply to South Africa by 2025, and progressively increase the current supply rate of 780 million cubic metres per annum to more than 1 270 million cubic metres per annum. At the same time, it will increase the quantity of electricity generated in Lesotho and is a further step in the process of securing an independent electricity source to meet Lesotho’s domestic requirements.

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The Queensland Government has announced the JVs shortlisted to build Brisbane’s Cross River Rail, a 10.2km rail line between the city’s Dutton Park and Bowen Hills, that includes a 5.9km twin tunnel under the Brisbane River and Brisbane CBD. The companies vying for the Tunnel, Stations and Development public-private partnership consortia contract are:

Pulse – CIMIC Group-led consortium, including Pacific Partnerships, CPB Contractors, UGL, BAM, Ghella and DIF

Qonnect – QIC, Capella Capital, Lendlease, John Holland and Bouygues

CentriQ Partnerships – Plenary Group, ACCIONA, GS Engineering & Construction, Salini Impregilo and Spotless Group

Acting Premier Jackie Trad said the announcement followed a comprehensive evaluation by the Cross River Rail Delivery Authority of the Expressions of Interest received for the project’s two major works packages: The Tunnel, Stations and Development (TSD) public-private partnership and the Rail, Integration and Systems (RIS) alliance.

“Cross River Rail is a transformational project that will unlock the bottleneck at the core of our transport network and increase its capacity to deliver ‘turn-up-and-go’ public transport,” Ms Trad said.

“The final consortia awarded contracts from these shortlists will be building this project.

“Shortlisted companies will now be required to prepare detailed bids that demonstrate innovation and offer Queenslanders the highest possible value for money.

“This is a big milestone in the delivery of this critical project and is another demonstration of this Government’s commitment to Cross River Rail.

“We are getting on with delivering this project and the calibre of the shortlist and the enthusiasm from the industry demonstrates how important Cross River Rail is to Queensland.

“It is the Queensland Government that has fully funded this project and we are hitting exciting new milestones, on time, all the time.

“In August we held an Industry Briefing and announced to over 500 industry representatives that we were fully-committed to the project, calling for partners to work with us to deliver it.

“In September we opened the Expressions of Interest process and in November the rigorous evaluation started.

“Today, we are proudly announcing the shortlisted consortia, with a strong field of national and multinational companies – yet another project milestone delivered on time.

“We promised to build Cross River Rail and that is exactly what we are doing.”

In June 2017, the Queensland Government committed to fully fund the Cross River Rail project.

The 2017-2018 State Budget allocated $2.8bn for Cross River Rail with a further $2.6bn committed over subsequent years.

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Brian Lyons will be taking over from Gerald Skalla as Managing Director of Dr Sauer & Partners in London. Lyons has been with Dr. Sauer & Partners for 7 years and has headed up all the major Design Contracts such as Bond Street Station Upgrade (LU), Farringdon Station (CRL) and Bank Station Capacity Upgrade (LU).

Lyons says ‘I am looking forward to bringing our innovative and practical design solutions to more British clients and markets and further fostering relationships with design and contracting partners on upcoming infrastructure projects. Dr Sauer & Partners is synonymous with tunnelling, but one of my key aims is to raise the profile for other services including geotechnical engineering and asset protection so that clients can expect the same lean and constructible approach to wider ground engineering challenges, with even fewer interfaces.

Skalla will not be leaving the business, instead, he is taking this opportunity to focus on the Canadian Market, building up a fully staffed and operational office in Toronto ready for the growing infrastructure market there.

After 10 years of being the MD in London, Skalla said of his time ‘I look with pride on a team of expert tunnelling engineers within our London Office. They have delivered great service on numerous successful projects. Over the past decade, the UK company has grown into a capable and trusted team, backed up by the worldwide capabilities and experience of the wider Dr Sauer & Partners group. I’m excited to be taking my experience over to Canada, to see how we can expand further from the signature projects in Ottawa and Toronto.

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TERRATEC has announced the delivery of a further four new 6.56m diameter EPBMs for the Istanbul’s Metro system, in Turkey, following a number of recent factory acceptance tests. The new TBMs will be used by the Gulermak, Nurol & Makyol JV on the Ümraniye-Ataşehir-Göztepe Metro contract, which was awarded in April 2017.

The 13km-long line, along with 11 new stations and NATM-built connections, will form a second north to south rail corridor under the densely-populated Anatolian side of the city and will be located entirely underground at an average depth of about 30m.

The TBMs have versatile mixed-face dome-style cutterheads with an opening ratio of about 35% that have proven to work extremely effectively in Istanbul’s mixed geology – which includes low-strength sandstones, siltstones, limestones and shales – as well as other state-of-the-art features such as VFD electric cutterhead drives, tungsten carbide soft ground cutting tools that are interchangeable with 17’’ roller disc cutters, high torque screw conveyors and active articulation systems.

These EPBMs bring the current number of TERRATEC machines working simultaneously in the city up to a total of seven.

The Ümraniye-Ataşehir-Göztepe project is one of five new metro lines currently being built by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM). Members of the JV were so impressed with the performance of the TERRATEC machine used on the Mecidiyeköy-Mahmutbey Metro, which is being built by the Gulermak, Kolin & Kalyon Joint Venture – and the progress of two other 6.56m diameter EPBMs that were delivered last year to the Şenbay Madencilik-Kolin-Kalyon Joint Venture for the Dudullu-Bostancı Metro Line – that they were keen to employ a further four TERRATEC machines on this latest project.

“Terratec is excited to be providing yet more machines to the metro projects in Istanbul,” says TERRATEC Sales & Marketing Director, Bruce Matheson. “We are confident they will perform as well as previous machines have in the city and we look forward to breaking more records for on-time delivery, quick assembly and excellent production rates.”

Due for completion in 2019, the new lines will increase the city’s current 145km Metro network to more than 480km.

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The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has broken ground on Section 2 of the Metro Purple Line Extension Project that will add 4.2km of new subway service to downtown Beverly Hills and Century City.

Metro has begun moving underground water, gas, power and telecommunications lines to make way for future subway construction. Major construction activities are slated to begin this spring when work crews create a launch area for a TBM at the planned Century City/Constellation Station. Major work at the planned Wilshire/Rodeo Station in Beverly Hills is expected to begin at the end of this year or early 2019.

“Angelenos deserve a world-class transportation system that takes the burden off their commutes, connects people with our countless sights and attractions and makes Los Angeles a more accessible and sustainable City,” said L.A. Mayor Garcetti, who serves as Metro Board Chair. “Today’s groundbreaking is a clear indication that this project to link Downtown L.A. to our region’s second-largest job center is on time and on budget.”

Metro has already begun construction of the first 6.4km long section of subway between Wilshire/Western in Koreatown and Wilshire/La Cienega in Beverly Hills. This initial section is now 30 percent complete and is scheduled to open in 2023. Section 2 is scheduled for completion in 2025 and the third and final section from Century City to Westwood/VA Hospital is planned to open in 2026, two years prior to the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“Los Angeles laid out a bold vision for its future, and today’s groundbreaking marks a significant step in making that a reality,” said U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein. “As we begin construction on the second phase, I remain committed to working with our local leaders and the federal government to complete the Purple Line Extension on time.”

The entire Purple Line Extension project is based on a three-phase construction schedule, which is expected to include $3.6bn in federal grants. Metro has established a $2.53bn budget for Section 2, including $1.5bn from a federal grant and loan. County sales tax proceeds from 2008’s Measure R and 2016’s Measure M voter-approved transportation measures are providing critically needed local funding to match the federal contributions and accelerate construction work.

A contractor to build Section 2 has already been selected. Metro has awarded a $1.37bn construction contract to Tutor Perini O&G, a Joint Venture, to build the second subway section.

“We now have the funding and the contractor in place to build Section 2 of this massive transit project that will greatly improve mobility for the whole L.A. region,” said Metro CEO Phillip A. Washington. “This project, along with the buildout of the final section, Purple Line Section 3, and coupled with our three additional transit lines now under construction, will create new transportation choices for our customers and move us closer to our goal of becoming the best transit system in America.”

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VIP-Polymers Ltd has won contracts to provide tunnel segment gaskets for two major tunnelling projects in the United Kingdom and India – the 12.7km long Thames Tideway Central and the Mumbai Metro repectively.

Thames Tideway Central is the longest of three sections of a 25km tunnel, due for completion in 2024, designed to prevent the discharge of untreated storm water and sewerage from 34 combined sewer overflows into the tidal River Thames.

VIP is supplying its cast-in gasket referenced VIP028CI with patented corners to tunnel segment pre-caster Pacacar for the section, which will be 12.7km long, with an inner diameter of 7.8m. Supply commenced in December 2017.

A consortium made up of Ferrovial Agroman and Laing O’Rourke (FLO JV) is the main contractor for the central section, which runs from Fulham to Blackfriars and will have 6,100 tunnel segment ring sets.

VIP’s compliant compressible corner technology for cast-in gaskets delivers consistent load performance along the entire perimeter of the gasket. This eliminates the risk of high loads at one or more of the gasket’s corners during installation, which could contribute to segment cracking.

The technology has already been proven on other tunnelling projects, including the 5km Shieldhall wastewater tunnel in Glasgow, commissioned by Scottish Water.

VIP has been commissioned by J Kumar Infraprojects to supply tunnel segment gaskets for the Mumbai Metro Line 3 (Packages 5 and 6) tunnel, which is being built for the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation, a joint venture between the Indian Government and the Government of Maharashtra.

The project involves the construction of a 4.5km twin tunnel, with an outside diameter of 6.6m, requiring a total of 17,800 tunnel segment ring sets.

Production of the glued-in gaskets selected for the tunnel has already begun at VIP’s factory in Huntingdon.

This latest contract continues VIP’s long-standing position as a major supplier of TSGs in India, having previously supplied four phases of the Delhi Metro project and the Ghatkopar High Level Tunnel in Mumbai.

Matthew Levitt, VIP Technical Business Development Manager, said: “The gasket has been specifically developed as a modification of our VIP024 gasket to provide additional sealing assurance sought by project engineers as the tunnel passes under the Mithi River.”

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In Illinois, USA, Kenny Construction is nearing completion on the Chicago Department of Transportation’s Albany Park Stormwater Diversion Tunnel. Plans for the tunnel began in 2013, after flood conditions became so severe that residents had to be evacuated from the area by boat. The tunnel is expected to be functional by April 2018.

A Robbins Main Beam Hard Rock TBM bored the 1.6km long tunnel and broke through at the end of August 2017, bringing the project one step closer to completion. The TBM, also known as “Keri,” has been owned by project contractor Kenny Construction since the 1990s and has been used on several projects prior. “The machine holed through into the inlet shaft,” said Clay Spellman, Project Manager for Kenny Construction. “We excavated the shaft as part of the project. The machine has since been disassembled and removed.”

For the Albany Park Project, Keri was rebuilt by Kenny Construction with size modifications designed by Robbins. Robbins took an existing cutterhead, repaired it, and then added segments, taking it from 5.2m to 6.2m in diameter. “Extensive modifications were also made underground to the machine to be able to install rock dowels and stand the ring steel under the roof shield,” added Spellman.

Due to the project location in a residential neighborhood, there were restrictions in place as to when the machine could operate and the frequency at which blasting would be allowed per day. Despite these limitations, the TBM achieved a best day of 39.5m and a best week (5 days) of 146.4m. The machine bored through dolomite with an average compressive strength of 64MPa UCS (9,300 psi). “During boring we encountered approximately 30.4m of fractured ground that had to be supported with rolled channels, straps, and 19 full circle steel rings,” said Spellman.

The drainage tunnel starts in Eugene Park and extends for under Foster Avenue to the North Shore Channel. When the Chicago River’s water levels reach flood stages—exceeding 2m – the tunnel will divert a flow of 65 cubic meters of water per second, avoiding Albany Park, then deposit it into the Channel. The tunnel will essentially be transferring the water where it would have ended up, without damaging the residential area or adversely affecting the river’s wildlife.

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Black & Veatch has announced it has created a Center of Excellence in its Houston office to deliver sustainable, cost-effective tunnelled solutions.

The company says that with its extensive background in large-scale tunnelling projects across Texas, the U.S. and globally, it is uniquely positioned to help clients deliver challenging conveyance and storage projects with an eye to economic, environmental and community benefits.

The Center of Excellence designation of Black & Veatch’s Houston office comes as major metropolitan areas, many in low-lying coastal regions or otherwise exposed to damaging rain events, have begun to see diminishing returns on investments in traditional conveyance and storage systems. Deep, large-diameter tunnels Black & Veatch says, can deliver value for wastewater and stormwater utilities by providing additional storage and conveyance capacity to significantly reduce or eliminate flooding and raw sewage overflow discharges.

“Large urban areas are increasingly turning to large-diameter tunnels to minimize the impacts of extreme weather as well as minimize public and environmental impacts from traditional stormwater conveyance and storage projects. Tunnels remove floodwaters from problem areas and improve mobility by keeping streets free of water, generally without requiring significant property acquisition or causing damage to environmental habitats,” Jarl Molander, senior client director said. “From concept development through construction management, our office can help communities achieve these benefits while managing risk to deliver projects cost effectively.”

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A 48 year old Malaysian construction worker died on March 1^st, whilst working on the Singapore Land Transport Authority’s (LTA) Thomson Line project. The accident happened whilst the worker was dismantling a TBM following the completion of tunnelling works on Contract T209 – Design and Construction of Lentor Station and Tunnels, which was awarded to the China Railway No 5 Engineering Group in 2013.

The LTA released this statement: ”The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is deeply saddened by a fatal accident which took place this morning at 3:35am in a tunnel that connects to Lentor station, which is currently under construction for the Thomson–East Coast Line.

The worker fell from a raised working platform in the tunnel and was unconscious after the fall. He was subsequently pronounced dead by paramedics at 4.30am.

“The worker was employed to dismantle components of Tunnel Boring Machines, following the completion of tunnelling works. LTA is working with the contractor to assist the worker’s family. Following the incident, LTA also imposed a safety timeout to review work processes and is assisting the Ministry of Manpower and the Police in their investigations.”

Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (MOM) was reported in the Straits Times to have said the chamber – which was being lowered using chain blocks – suddenly swung and hit the platform that one of the workers was standing on, causing him to fall from it.

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The United Arab Emirates Society of Engineers and the ITACET Foundation are pleased to announce a short two-day course on “The Main Opportunities and Technical Issues in Tunnelling”, as a pre-congress event within the scope of the WTC 2018. This event will take place on 21^st and 22^nd April.

The first day of this course will provide an introduction to the basics of tunnelling, presenting the advantages and disadvantages of underground space use, especially in urban areas. It will provide illustrated examples from around the world and will take a look at sustainable underground solutions for urban planning. The key stakeholders in the design, construction and operation of such solutions will be presented, with a focus on the decision process and project management aspects, such as legal and compensation issues.

The second day of this event will first focus on more complex technical aspects related to tunnelling (ground investigations, main design parameters, different construction methods and their fields of application) and will then move on to look at underground structures for specific purposes (e.g. energy storage). Numerous case studies will be provided throughout the course and discussion periods will enable interaction with the lecturers.

To register for the course, please visit: http://www.wtc2018.ae/registration/

To download the provisional programme, please visit the ITACET Foundation web site

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Preparation for Watercare’s largest-ever construction project is on schedule, with today’s announcement of the short-listed contractors for Auckland’s Central Interceptor, a 13km long, 4.5m diameter wastewater tunnel. The short-listed construction contractors for the project are (in no particular order):

• CPB Contractors
• Ghella-Abergeldie Harker Joint Venture
• Pacific Networks, comprising McConnell Dowell, Fletcher Construction and Obayashi
• VINCI Joint Venture, comprising VINCI Construction Grands Projets, HEB Construction and Solentache Bachy.

According to Shayne Cunis, Executive Programme Director for the Central Interceptor, the four strongest contractors have been chosen to move to the next stage of selection.

“All four groups have demonstrated that they have the ability and experience to deliver this project to the required standard, while adding significant value to the project.

“We are looking forward to working with them on the next stage of the process and remain committed to meeting our timeframes for delivery of the Central Interceptor for the people of Auckland.”

Design and technical documentation will be released in March, and the Request for Proposal will be issued to the short-listed contractors in May.

The Central Interceptor is designed to help reduce combined wastewater / stormwater overflows to local waterways and the Waitemata Harbour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJdbn7Qd-p4

With construction set to start in 2019, the $1.2bn Central Interceptor is one of New Zealand’s most ambitious tunnelling projects. Constructed at depths of up to 110m, the 13km tunnel will run between Western Springs and the Mangere Wastewater Treatment Plant. Connecting to existing networks along the route, flows and overflows will be diverted into the tunnel before it crosses the Manukau Harbour below the seabed.

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Work on building the new Sydney Metro underground platforms at Central Station and the landmark Central Walk will begin immediately, after Laing O’Rourke was awarded a $955M contract to transform the city’s busiest station.

Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Andrew Constance said the massive upgrade to Central Station represents the biggest improvement to the station in decades – making it easier for customers to connect between light rail, suburban and inter-city trains, the new Sydney Metro and buses.

The Central contract includes:

• The excavation and construction of the new underground Sydney Metro platforms at Central beneath platforms 13 and 14
• Central Walk – a new 19m wide underground concourse from Chalmers Street, connecting customers to suburban rail platforms, Sydney Metro platforms, the new light rail and buses
• For the first time, customers will be able to use escalators to get to platforms 12 to 23;

Completion of the Central Walk and Central Station metro upgrade contract is expected in 2022, with Central Walk open to customers.

Once the Central contract is complete, work will continue along the 30km length of the Sydney Metro City & Southwest project to lay tracks and fit out stations before services start in 2024.

This is the first step in the renewal of Central Station, creating a new pedestrian gateway to the east and better linking the suburban rail network.

Work to build the Sydney Metro platforms at Central will happen underground and during Sydney Trains’ scheduled maintenance shutdowns.

The first of five TBMs will be in the ground before the end of this year to deliver the twin 15.5km metro rail tunnels between Chatswood and Sydenham.

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The concept of the slurry machine was being considered and thought about as far back as the 1960’s. It is unclear who thought of it first. In the UK, John Bartlett, a senior partner of Mott Hay and Anderson (now called Mott MacDonald), filed a patent for the Bentonite Shield in 1965 (published in 1967) whilst at the same time in Japan early attempts to make slurry machines were being considered by Okumura, Mitsubishi and Kawasaki and maybe other Japanese companies.

To read the full story click here

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Danish Client, Metroselskabet has awarded a Vinci and Hochtief JV the €460M design and build contract for the Sydhavn Metro Line (Line 4) on the Copenhagen Metro. The design and build project for the southern metro line is a six-year mandate that calls for the construction of dual 4.4km long tunnels using two EPBMs along with five underground stations and two crossover structures. The project also includes electrical and mechanical systems, architectural interior works, and in-tunnel ventilation.

The tunnels will have an interior diameter of 4.9m and an exterior diameter of 5.5m. This metro-network extension south of the Danish capital (Sydhavn or M4) will be connected to the main ring line (Cityringen).

“Eighteen years after the delivery of the Øresund tunnel and two years after the award of the Femern tunnel, it’s our honor to continue to work for the Danish people’s daily mobility with a new line of underground metro, especially with our historical partner Hochtief”, says Eric Chambraud, Operations Director Northern Europe, British Isles and Americas at VINCI Construction Grands Projets.

“We are very pleased to have this opportunity of demonstrating our tunnelling expertise in Copenhagen again. This contract continues our successful activities in the Danish infrastructure market. We are looking forward to working once again together with VINCI”, says Riku Tauriainen, Executive Vice President of Hochtief Infrastructure GmbH Europe West.

For the first time in Denmark, 3D modelling will be used extensively as early as the bid-submission phase by the consortium. In Copenhagen Hochtief, in JV, is currently executing the Metro Cityringen Branch-off to Nordhavn tunnel project.

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Salini-Impregilo (SI-NRW) has suspended boring due to ‘ground disturbance issues’ on one of its two Herrenknecht Variable Density TBMs currently being used to construct the 8km long, 7m diameter Forrestfield-Airport Link twin tunnels in Perth, Australia. The decision was reportedly taken on February 14^th, after discussions between SI-NRW, Perth Airport (PAPL), and the Public Transport Authority (PTA).

A spokesperson for the client said, “Due to some ground disturbance issues, tunnelling work by TBM Grace for the Forrestfield-Airport Link – which has not yet reached any critical airport infrastructure – has been temporarily suspended.

“The temporary suspension is a safe guard and will allow for the processes associated with the tunnelling to be independently reviewed and validated.”

The ‘ground disturbances’ occurred whilst the crews were tunnelling through the region’s Ascot Formation, which comprises complex non-cohesive granular material. Boring is being carried out at an average depth of some 15m, with a six piece segmental ring being erected for the tunnel lining.

The client has said that when the contract for the project was signed all parties involved were well informed about the potential challenges involved in tunnelling. Currently, PTA and PAPL have engaged separate independent tunnelling experts to review tunnelling operations and provide recommendations for improvement. SI-NRW is running detailed risk workshops to determine lessons that can be incorporated into tunnelling operations. A specialist advisor from Herrenknecht has also reviewed operations and provided recommendations for improvement.

“Tunnelling will recommence when PTA, PAPL and SI-NRW jointly agree to do so. Prior to this happening, an independent review is to be completed and any lessons need to be incorporated into tunnelling operations,” the spokesperson said. “At this stage there is no set timeframe for this to occur, however all parties are working together to progress the review in a timely manner. Tunnelling will not recommence until all parties deem it is appropriate to do so.”

TJ contacted SI-NRW but the JV was unable to comment.

The $1.86bn Forrestfield-Airport Link is jointly funded by the Australian and Western Australian governments and will deliver a new rail service to the eastern suburbs of Perth – with three new stations at Redcliffe, Airport Central and Forrestfield via the 8km long twin tunnels.
In April 2016 the PTA awarded the $1.176bn single-package, lump sum design, construct and maintenance contract to Salini Impregilo – NRW Joint Venture.

TBM Grace began tunnelling in July 2017, with TBM Sandy following in September. Their underground journey is scheduled to take almost two years with breakthroughs slated for April 2019 and June 2019 respectively.

The representative for the client has been reported as saying that the hold-up should not affect the project opening date in 2020 due to the fact tunnelling was already ahead of schedule.

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Salini Impregilo has won a €203M contract to extend a Paris metro line to the Orly airport south of the French capital as part of the Grand Paris Express, a massive project that will expand the city’s public transport network to the periphery by 2030.

The contract, awarded to Salini Impregilo and its joint-venture partner Nouvelles Générations d’Entrepreneurs (NGE) by La Régie autonome des transports parisiens (RATP), concerns one of four sections that will make up the 14km extension of Line 14 South to the airport. On Lot GC04, Salini Impregilo, and NGE will excavate a 4.1km tunnel from Pont de Rungis station to the site of a new station at Orly. Work is to begin in mid-March and last about five years.

The extended line will improve connections and travel times between Orly and the city by linking the airport to Line 18 of the Paris metro and a new one to be called Line 15.

At a cost of €30bn, the Grand Paris Express will extend the city’s RER rail and metro network to the surrounding communities that belong to the Grand Paris metropolis with the aim of revitalising the area’s economy with its seven million residents, one of the largest in Europe. The first metro line was inaugurated in 1900.

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