Tunnels & Tunnelling Weekly
Tunnels and Tunnelling International
The official magazine of the British Tunnelling Society at Business Trade Media International
Welcome to this week's Tunnels and Tunnelling International newsletter.
Some great highlights and milestones in the last week.
Don't forget to check out all the new daily content on our updated website: www.tunnelsandtunnelling.com
We hope you enjoy it.
See our highlights below:
HAITAI YANGTZE RIVER TUNNEL TBM SETS NEW RECORD FOR CHINA
A 16.64m-diameter shield TBM for the Haitai Yangtze River Tunnel has rolled off the production line at China Railway Construction Heavy Industry Corporation Ltd’s (CRCHI) factory in Changsha, Hunan.
CRCHI says it is the largest diameter shield TBM produced in China.
The previous record was set by the 16m-diameter Jinghua, which is deployed on the Beijing East Sixth Ring Road Reconstruction Project.
This shield machine, named Jianghai, is approximately 145m long and weighs 5,000 tons. Jianghai is named by integrating the two concepts of crossing the Yangtze River and being adjacent to the sea in the Haitai Yangtze River Tunnel project.
CONTRACTORS SUBMIT REVISED BIDS FOR DUBAI METRO BLUE LINE
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) opened updated bids from contractors for the contract to design and build Dubai Metro’s Blue Line on 7 November.
The RTA asked bidders to submit updated prices last month after they submitted initial offers on 8 October.
The group of China Tiesiju Civil Engineering Group, Egypt’s Arab Contractors, the local Binladin Contracting Group and Spain’s CAF submitted the lowest-priced revised base offer of AED22.2bn ($6bn).
The design-and-build contractor will be responsible for all civil works, electromechanical works, rolling stock and rail systems.
THAILAND PLANS TO CANCEL UNDERGROUND TUNNEL FOR NORTHERN BANGKOK EXPRESSWAY PROJECT
The underground tunnel segment was designed to link the Si Rat Expressway with Ngamwongwan Road and Prasert Manukit Road in Bangkok.
Thailand is not expected to proceed with the underground tunnel segment of the Phase 3 Northern Expressway project (N1 section) in Bangkok, owing to financial viability concerns.
An announcement in this connection came from Thailand’s Minister of Transport, Suriya Juangroongruangkit. The underground tunnel segment was intended to connect the Si Rat Expressway to Ngamwongwan Road and Prasert Manukit Road in Bangkok.
WATERCARE COMPLETES TUNNEL INSTALLATION FOR WASTEWATER PIPELINE PROJECT IN NEW ZEALAND
Watercare Services Limited announced that a tunnel-boring machine (TBM), dubbed Piper, has completed the final leg of a 5km pipeline installation to transport wastewater from Warkworth to the Snells Beach wastewater treatment plant in New Zealand.
According to the utility, which supplies water to Auckland, this latest development marks a significant step in its NZ$300m ($179m) wastewater upgrade programme for Warkworth, Snells Beach, and Algies Bay.
As part of the broader infrastructure enhancement programme, the new pipeline aims to enhance the performance of the local wastewater network and promote future growth.
TERRA VERDE JV WINS $1.12BN SUBURBAN RAIL LOOP TUNNELLING CONTRACT IN AUSTRALIA
The Terra Verde joint venture (JV) has secured an A$1.7bn ($1.12bn) contract to construct the northern section of twin tunnels connecting Glen Waverley and Box Hill for the Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) East project in Melbourne, Australia.
Composed of major companies including Webuild, GS Engineering and Construction, and Bouygues Construction Australia, the JV has expertise in projects, including Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel, North East Link, and the Grand Paris Express.
It is led by Webuild with a stake of 33.5%.
MALAYSIAN STATE SELANGOR PROPOSES $1.4BN UNDERGROUND TUNNEL PROJECT TO TACKLE FLOOD RISKS
The Selangor government in Malaysia has advanced a proposal to create an underground tunnel system with an investment of MYR6bn ($1.36bn) to channel rainwater overflow from Kuala Lumpur.
Through the project, the Selangor government aims to reduce flood risks for both the capital’s western areas and parts of the Malaysian state.
The underground tunnel project, which awaits federal approval, was submitted to Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof, who also oversees energy transition and water transformation initiatives.
ARMENIA BEGINS WORK ON TUNNEL AND ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE ON NORTH-SOUTH ROAD CORRIDOR
Construction has commenced on a 360 m-long tunnel and concrete road infrastructure as part of Phase 4 of Armenia’s North-South Road Corridor, covering the segment from Agarak to Kajaran.
The project is progressing on schedule, with the Eurasian Fund for Stabilization and Development (EFSD) updated on its progress during a recent mission to Armenia. The EFSD has allocated $150m specifically for this section of the corridor.
Phase 4 of Armenia’s North-South Road Corridor encompasses the construction of a 32km road, two tunnels (measuring 360m and 520m), and 17 bridges, including one with a span exceeding 720m.
GEOGRAPHIC SPREAD OF GLOBAL TUNNEL CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
Did you know Tunnels and Tunnelling International is now officially part of GlobalData Plc?
GlobalData Plc are an industry leading business intelligence provider and track the global tunnel construction market quarterly.
In their latest report they report that the global tunnel construction projects pipeline stands at $1.01 trillion, comprising projects at all stages of development from announcement to execution.
In terms of region, Western Europe leads investment in tunnel infrastructure with a pipeline valued at $315.2 billion – equivalent to 31.7% of the global value of tunnel projects – followed by North-East Asia with a project pipeline valuing $275.2 billion, Middle East and North Africa with a pipeline valued at $92.6 billion, and North America with projects totalling $87.3 billion.
Thanks for reading; we hope you enjoyed it.
Until next week.
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