NEWS |


Herrenknecht wins Bauma award for TES system


Haweswater tech adviser


role bid moves ahead UK - United Utilities has named Turner & Townsend Infrastructure as the preferred bidder for the role of independent technical adviser (ITA) for the Haweswater Aqueduct Resilience Programme (HARP). Earlier this year the water company for


the north-west of England identified the Strabag Equitix Consortium as the preferred bidder, as the competitively appointed provider (CAP). The CAP is to design, build, finance and


maintain the new replacement project to six tunnels sections (approximately 50km) along the 110km-long Haweswater Aqueduct route. HARP will be the largest infrastructure


project undertaken by United Utilities since privatisation. The original aqueduct was completed


Above: The Tunnel Enlargement System (TES) developed by Herrenknecht makes it possible to upgrade railway tunnels without interrupting rail operations PHOTO CREDIT: IMAGOCURA / JÜRGEN STRESIUS


GERMANY - Herrenknecht recently won the Bauma Innovation Award 2025 for its Tunnel Enlargement System (TES). The award, presented at a


ceremony during the opening of the trade fair, in April, was made in the Machine Technology category. TES enables the cross-sectional


expansion of existing railway tunnels while rail operations continue. Herrenknecht said it is tackling


a key challenge of Europe’s transport infrastructure: many of the 800 or so rail tunnels that were built in Germany, Austria and Switzerland between 1850 and 1910 are still in operation – and will need to be extensively modernised. Electrification, larger track gauges, modern safety standards and increasing traffic needs require the tunnel profiles to be enlarged - without interrupting train. TES was first used on a large


scale in January 2024 for the renovation of two historic tunnels: the 426m-long Fachinger Tunnel and the 732m-long Cramberger Tunnel. The tunnel cross-section was extended by around 2m in radius during ongoing rail operations. When TES is used, the existing


8 | June 2025


tracks are dismantled and a track laid in the middle of the tunnel. TES provides works as a protective enclosure, enabling operational rail traffic to run below it while works proceed above and around. The system moves forward step by step as the tunnel is excavated. The front machine section of TES


protects the tunnel and the railway from collapse and falling rock. The middle section carries excavation and safety technology, and the rear machine section supplies power, compressed air and construction materials. Johann Sailer, managing partner


of Geda, said: “Tunnel construction technology is always fascinating – this one in particular makes it possible to safely renovate and expand all railroad tunnels while rail operations continue.” Martin-Devid Herrenknecht,


member of the Herrenknecht board of management, said TES was setting a new milestone in mechanised tunnel construction. “The combination of high


technology, safety and efficiency opens up new possibilities for making existing transportation routes uninterrupted and fit for the future he said.


in the 1950s to increase water supplies from the Lake District to Manchester and the Pennines. The project aims to ensure the resilience of the asset for decades to come. United Utilities’ head of programme


delivery, John McNeill, said the technical adviser ITA would play a crucial role by providing objective, independent assurance on costs and delivery of the project.


Immersed tunnel progress in Iraq IRAQ - The second segment of the 2.4km- long Basra immersed tube tunnel has been placed on the sea bed for Iraq’s Al Faw Grand Port project, located on the Arabian Gulf. Al Faw Grand Port is a logistical hub that


aims to be a transport hub connecting Asia and Europe, which would make it a crucial link in global trade. The Basra Tunnel will run under the


Shatt al-Arab waterway, connecting Al Faw Grand Port with an international highway. Lowering and positioning of the second


segment was conducted beneath the Khor Al-Zubair navigational channel at a depth of 23m, with a water level of 12m above the section. The director-general of the General


Company for Ports of Iraq, Dr Eng. Farhan Al-Fartousi, said the 126m-long, 45,000- ton segment was manufactured in the designated dry dock. “The total length of the tunnel exceeds


2.4km, executed using the immersed tunnel technique, with unprecedented international standards in Iraq and the region,” he said.


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