NEWS |


India-Norway MoU INDIA – The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) to strengthen its technical capability in developing tunnel projects. The MoU aims to support the NHAI’s planning, design, assessment and monitoring of critical infrastructure projects in tunnel construction, slope stability analysis, monitoring of slopes as well as institutional capacity building. Under the agreement, NGI will provide


consultancy services including site characterisation for tunnel projects, preparation of feasibility studies and detailed project reports. Also to be provided are structural assessment and safety audits of operational tunnels plus slope stability assessments to identify potential hazards and recommend mitigation measures. They are also to collaborate on R&D to reduce natural hazards.


Brenner marks milestones AUSTRIA, ITALY – Excavation completion has been achieved on the first of the twin tubes of the Brenner Base Tunnel. Final TBM breakthrough on the H53


Pfons-Brenner Lot in late August means the West main tunnel runs for 55km – from the Sill Gorge near Innsbruck, Austria, to Fortezza in Alto Adige, Italy. The 10.37m-diameter Herrenknecht


machine, ‘Wilma’, bored 7.4km of the tube and installed more than 23,000 rings. It was launched in mid-September 2024 and its finish also completed the tube. A JV of Porr and Marti is delivering the H53 lot. Separately, TBM boring recently began


on the Gardena Tunnel, part of the Brenner Base Tunnel project. The works are part of the Fortezza-Ponte Gardena Lot in Trento Alto Adige. Launch of the 10m-tunnel TBM followed completion of the 650m-long Funes exploratory tunnel. The lot includes the excavation of more than 16km of tunnels. The RFI (FS Italiane Group) project is being delivered by Webuild, in consortium with Implenia and Seli Overseas.


Mont Cenis ramps up FRANCE, ITALY – Permanent lining of two ventilation shafts at the TELT project’s Mont Cenis base tunnel CO5 worksite, in Villarodin-Bourget/Modane, has been completed and work is progressing on the third and fourth shafts. Separately, first components recently


arrived for assembly of the 10.4m-diameter Herrenknecht gripper TBM that is to bore


8 | October 2026


an 18km-long section of a twin tube of the base tunnel, between the Villarodin- Bourget/Modane access adit in France and the Clarea underground safety site in Italy. The Mont Cenis base tunnel is a key


part of the TELT Lyon-Turin project being developed as a cross-border high-speed rail link by France and Italy, with EU support. Construction of the link involves the


execution of significant tunnelling works by both bored and conventional tunnelling plus deep shaft sinking. Exploratory tunnelling has been a key feature of the early stages of the project, with some TBM work already completed. Other TBM boring is under way on the project.


Delta water tunnel plan US – Construction of California’s Delta Conveyance Project, involving plans for a 72.5km-long water transfer tunnel, is making progress on environmental approvals, including under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The US Fish and Wildlife Service and


National Marine Fisheries Service have submitted Biological Opinions to the Department of Water Resources (DWR), completing the ESA process for construction. The DWR said the $20bn project is now one critical step closer to implementation. The project involved building the long


water conveyance tunnel under the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to divert water from the Sacramento River to southern California.


Strabag win on Pfaffensteig GERMANY – Strabag, in partnership with group company Züblin, has been awarded several packages for the ABS Gäubahn Nord/ Pfaffensteig rail tunnel. The twin-bore tunnel link will establish


a direct connection between the new long- distance railway station at Stuttgart Airport and the existing Gäubahn line, reducing journey times to the Swiss border. The link comprises two tunnels: an 11km-


long twin-tube tunnel; and a 240m-long cut-and-cover tunnel and trench. The main tunnel is to be excavated mostly (9.8km) by TBM and the balance by conventional tunnelling. In addition, a 3km-long above- ground section is to be upgraded for a design speed of 200km/h. Procurement for the Pfaffensteig Tunnel is being delivered under a partnership model.


South Korea rock rates SOUTH KOREA – An open-type TBM developed by China Railway Construction


Heavy Industry Corporation (CRCHI) recently achieved breakthrough on the Chuncheon– Sokcho Railway Tunnel Project and achieved a monthly advance record. Geology encountered consists of hard


rock formations, including quartz porphyry and granite, with compressive strengths reaching up to 280 MPa. During the 3.71km-long hard rock


excavation on Section 7 of the project, the 9m-diameter TBM achieved a maximum daily advance of 24m, a maximum weekly rate of 114m and maximum monthly progress of 304m – nearly double the previous domestic record and a new construction benchmark for South Korea’s tunnelling industry, said CRCHI.


Borumba interim civils award AUSTRALIA – Queensland Hydro has appointed FKG Group to deliver the interim civils package for the proposed Borumba Pumped Storage Hydro Project. The A$20m (€12.3m) package is a key


component of the hydropower project’s exploratory works phase and covers enabling civil works, including access tracks, temporary creek crossings and portal pad preparation. These works will support planned underground tunnelling and surface geotechnical drilling programmes. Queensland Hydro is progressing a


revised business case for the Borumba Project, alongside an exploratory works programme designed to gather critical geotechnical, environmental and technical information. The power company says the exploratory works are an important step in de risking the project.


HS2 link doors readying UK – Booth Industries recently completed the first of 300 safety-critical cross- passage doors that will be important for safe and reliable operation of the twin- tubes of the HS2 high-speed rail link and provide emergency access. The doors must withstand significant


pressure changes caused by passing trains as well as extreme heat in the event of fire in a tunnel. HS2 has used lessons from other tunnel cross-passage doors for a more consistent approach to doors and sub-systems, and to make manufacturing, installation and commissioning more efficient. HS2 has five twin-bore tunnels between


London and the West Midlands covering more than 43.5km in total – the longest of which is the 16.1km Chiltern tunnel. There are also five cut-and-cover tunnels, which total just over 8km in length.


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