PREVIEW | WTC 2025


CONFERENCE & ‘THINK TANK’ Rapid change in industry has led to a new initiative at WTC - the ‘Think Tank’ sessions, which are being introduced at WTC 2025. The Think Tank is to have three sessions -


Environmental Impact; Technical Development; and, Tunnelling without injuries. A session will take place on each day of the congress over 12-14 May. The sessions will be held in the mornings and are to


be followed up in the afternoons, each with a workshop the outcome of which is to be passed to the ITA General Assembly as both input and recommendations for areas of focus to come. Under Technical Development the session will look at


education in future, asking what is required from both universities and industries to succeed. On the safety focused session, the discussion is to be


is ‘Tunnelling without injuries’ realistic? With the introduction of the Think Tank sessions


to the congress format, over three days, the Technical Programme of the main conference days (12-14 May) is then fitted only into the afternoons of the first two days but then the whole duration of the last day. On that last day, though, the third Think Tank session will run in parallel to part of the Technical Programme. On the first two days the Think Tank sessions will have no other sessions running in parallel in the WTC congress schedule.


TECHNICAL PROGRAMME The Technical Programme of WTC 2025 runs over the afternoons of 12-13 May, and all day 14 May (with a parallel session). The Programme will run with parallel tracks, with session themes as follows:


DAY 1 (12 MAY) Afternoon ● Track 1: Impact from climate change ● Track 2: Use of underground space ● Track 3: Investigations and ground characterisation in hard rock


● Track 4: Planning and design of underground space in soft ground


Break ● Track 1: Innovative tunnelling 1 ● Track 2: Contractual aspects, financing and risk management


● Track 3: Investigations and ground characterisation in soft ground


● Track 4: Planning and design of underground space, case studies in hard rock


DAY 2 (13 MAY)


Afternoon ● Track 1: Innovative tunnelling 2 ● Track 2: Conventional tunnelling 1 - case studies ● Track 3: Mechanised tunnelling 1 - case studies ● Track 4: Planning and design of underground space, case studies in soft ground


Break ● Track 1: Innovative tunnelling 3 ● Track 2: Conventional tunnelling 2 - large or shallow tunnels


● Track 3: Mechanised tunnelling 2 - geological challenges


● Track 4: Planning and design of underground space - challenges, risks and redesign


DAY 3 (14 MAY)


Morning ● Track 1: Complex geometries including shafts and ramps 1


● Track 2: Conventional tunnelling 3 - sprayed concrete ● Track 3: Mechanised tunnelling 3 - hard rock TBM tunnelling


● Track 4: Instrumentation & Monitoring 1


Break ● Track 1: Complex geometries including shafts and ramps 2


● Track 2: Conventional tunnelling 4 -ground support ● Track 3: Mechanised tunnelling 4 - sustainable & new technologies


● Track 4: Instrumentation & Monitoring 2 Lunch


Afternoon ● Track 1: Safety underground - emergency management


● Track 2: Grouting and groundwater control 1 ● Track 3: Mechanised tunnelling 5 - testing and characterisation


● Track 4: Operation, Inspection & Monitoring 1 Break ● Track 1: Safety underground - H&S, new approaches ● Track 2: Grouting and groundwater control 2 ● Track 3: Mechanised tunnelling 6 - urban TBM tunnelling


● Track 4: Operation, Inspection & Monitoring 2 - renewal & refurb


TECHNICAL TOURS A large number of optional project site and underground location visits are available to delegates to select from, but to elect only one - due to the trips running in parallel on a single day only, the last day of WTC 2025 activities (15 May). The trips are after the main conference has ended. The optional Technical Tours, available for a relatively


small fee, include: ● E4 Stockholm Bypass ● SFAR sewage treatment caverns, Stockholm ● The Dannemora historical mine ● Stockholm metro expansion ● Epiroc’s test mine, in Sickla, Stockholm ● Epiroc’s Orebro factory and Kvarntorp test mine ● Guided tour of geology in Stockholm ● Nobel/dynamite historical visit


The choice of tour can be selected at registration for the main event of WTC 2025.


March 2025 | 47


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