Tunnels & Tunnelling Weekly

Welcome to this week's Tunnels and Tunnelling International newsletter.

Some great highlights and milestones in the last week.

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We hope you enjoy it.

See our highlights below:

TBM ASSEMBLY CONTINUES FOR SAGINARA TUNNEL

The assembly phase of the TBM assembly is ongoing for the Saginara tunnel (SA), the longest on the route of the new Salerno-Reggio Calabria HS/HC line as part of the Rete Ferroviaria Italiana expansion.

Along the new infrastructure, for lot 1a Battipaglia-Romagnano, the use of 4 TBMs is planned, which arrived in recent days at the port of Salerno.

Upon completion of the entire work, the Rome-Reggio Calabria travel time will be reduced to 4 hours. The new infrastructure will also allow the increase in freight traffic with the port of Gioia Tauro.

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JIANGHAI TBM ENTERS TESTING PHASE FOR HAITAI YANGTZE RIVER TUNNEL

Tunnel boring machine (TBM) Jianghai has entered the initial testing phase for the construction of Haitai Yangtze River Tunnel in Jiangsu Province, East China.

The cutter head of the shield tunnelling machine, with a diameter of 16.64m and 460 tons of weight, was mounted at the construction site, in the city of Nantong.

Jianghai was designed and developed by China Railway Construction Heavy Industry Corp (CRCHI), in collaboration with China Railway 14th Bureau Group.

The Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) measures 145m in length and weighs about 5,000 tons.

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KATSE TBM BREAKS GROUND AT LESOTHO HIGHLANDS WATER PROJECT PHASE II

The Katse Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) broke ground on Phase II of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) on 15 January 2025 during a ceremony at Ha Bereng, Leribe.

The event was officiated by the Minister of Home Affairs, Honourable Lebona Lephema, on behalf of the Prime Minister of Lesotho. This marks the first TBM-driven tunnelling in Lesotho’s highlands in over 20 years since Phase I of the project.

The Katse TBM, named Khoiti ea ‘Ngoaha Kholo2 (The Rat Mole of 200 Years), is one of two double-shielded machines designed for the 38km Polihali Transfer Tunnel. The name was chosen following a nationwide naming competition.

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METRO MANILA PROJECT ADVANCES WITH TBM LAUNCH AT CAMP AGUINALDO STATION

The Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP) has advanced further with the launch of a new tunnel boring machine (TBM) at the Camp Aguinaldo Station.

The JIM Technology TBM was launched by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

MMSP’s Contract Package 103, built by Sumitomitsui Construction, will use four TBMs. These machines will tunnel 6.5km for two underground Anonas and Camp Aguinaldo stations and associated tunnels.

JIM Technology TBM is said to be the fifth TBM for the Metro Manila Subway project, which includes 17 stations.

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HERRENKNECHT IBERICA TO CONDUCT FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR MOROCCO-SPAIN UNDERSEA RAIL LINK

Spanish firm HERRENKNECHT IBERICA SA has been awarded a €296,400 contract to conduct a drilling feasibility study for the proposed Morocco-to-Spain undersea rail link.

The study is set to begin immediately and is expected to conclude by June, according to reports from local media.

The Spanish government revived the project in June 2022, allocating approximately $2.5m for a fresh design study.

Originally launched in 2003, the project was delayed following the 2008 financial crisis and has since remained in the feasibility stage due to funding challenges spanning nearly two decades.

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CONSTRUCTION ON TRACK AT INDIA’S FIRST UNDERSEA TUNNEL FOR BULLET TRAIN PROJECT

Construction on the undersea tunnel for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) Corridor, also known as the bullet train project, is currently on track.

MAHSR is developed by National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL), a fully owned subsidiary of Indian Railways, the Ministry of Railways, Government of India.

The project is being constructed using Japan’s Shinkansen technology, including rolling stock, signalling and design standards, to support the Make in India programme.

It comprises a 21km undersea tunnel between the bullet train underground station at Mumbai’s Bandra-Kurla Complex and Shilphata in Maharashtra.

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UAE TENDERS ABU DHABI TO DUBAI HIGH-SPEED RAIL

The UAE’s Etihad Rail has tendered a contract to design and build the civil works and station packages for the railway line connecting Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

The project will include tunnelling works totalling 31km.The tender notice was issued on 10 January with a bid submission deadline of 7 May.

Contractors are also forming joint ventures to bid for upcoming design-and-build works packages for the high-speed railway (HSR) project.

Etihad Rail started the post-prequalification clarifications with firms after they submitted prequalification documents on 21 November last year.

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HERRENKNECHT DELIVERS E-POWER PIPE FOR HEITKAMP SWISS GRID EXPANSION PROJECTS

Herrenknecht AG has delivered an E-Power Pipe machine to Heitkamp Construction Swiss to tackle obstacles like rivers and infrastructure during grid expansion projects in Germany.

This technology allows for fast and safe underground installation of cable protection pipes over distances exceeding 1km, said Herrenknecht AG. The E-Power Pipe eliminates the need for trenches.

Heitkamp Construction Swiss will use it for grid expansion projects, including the SuedLink extra-high voltage direct current transmission line starting in April 2025.

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Thanks for reading; we hope you enjoyed it.

Until next week.

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