| NEWS
Amtrak issues RFQ on East River Tunnel upgrade US – Amtrak has launched the procurement phase of New York’s East River Tunnel Rehabilitation Project with a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for construction services for the renewal of two of the four tubes. The work is to modernize the tunnel
infrastructure, improve safety, service capacity, reliability and security. Preparatory work is under way in Sunnyside Yard and major construction is due to start in early 2024 for targeted completion in late 2027. The chosen contractor is to sequentially
rehabilitate both tubes by demolishing the existing tunnel systems down to the concrete liner and then undertaking reconstruction. Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner said the project would renew the East River Tunnel for another century. The work will be performed under a
Project Labor Agreement (PLA,) as part of a 2021 Memorandum of Understanding between Amtrak and North America’s Building Trades Unions covering Amtrak’s major civil engineering projects. The East River Tunnel is part of Amtrak’s
Northeast Corridor. It carries Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and Amtrak trains travelling to and from Penn Station to the north and east. The project is eligible for federal
funding via the FY 2022-2023 Federal- State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Program created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. An application for a full funding grant was submitted in March, in response to the FSP-NEC Program Notice of Funding Opportunity, and Amtrak issued the RFQ in anticipation of the Federal Railroad Administration funding decision expected this Fall. Previously, Amtrak applied for, and
was awarded, a grant under the FY 2021 Federal-State Partnership for State of Good Repair Program for the East River Tunnel Rehabilitation Enabling Components Project, which will ensure that traction power is maintained in each of the tunnel lines while rehabilitation is under way. Additional funding from the State of New
York was announced in late 2021 as part of agreements that include the Metropolitan Transport Authority committing up to US$432m for the East River Tunnel project. This is one of several major
infrastructure projects that Amtrak’s newest department, Capital Delivery, is undertaking. Earlier this year, Amtrak
launched the procurement for the replacement of the B&P Tunnel in Maryland and Connecticut River.
Newburgh sewer successes US – Bored tunneling has been completed for the first of three tunnels on the North Interceptor Sewer Improvement (NISI) project in Newburgh, in New York State, and the TBM has been relaunched. The NISI project is the largest and most
significant infrastructure investment in Newburgh for several decades, installing 1.56 miles (2.65km) of new, larger-gravity sanitary sewer piping. The US$32m investment, aimed at
protecting the water quality of the Hudson River, commenced construction in April 2022. The TBM was launched from a 49ft- deep (15m) shaft and bored towards the first retrieval shaft, then relaunched. All tunneling is to be completed in Spring 2024.
Contract awards on Toulouse metro FRANCE – Toulouse’s metropolitan transport authority has awarded contracts on three lots of Line C, which is the third line on city’s metro network. A consortium of French construction
companies Eiffage and NGE won the civil works contracts for Lot 1, valued at US$255m (€233m), and Lot 2, valued at US$646m (€590m), respectively. A joint venture of Implenia and
Demathieu Bard Construction was awarded the US$363m (€331.4m) contract for Lot 3. The 16.8 mile-long (27km) line will run
from Colomiers to Labège. Around 12.4 miles (20km), and 17 of the 21 new stations, will be underground. The total project cost is approximately US$3bn (€2.7bn) and Line C is expected to open in 2028. Lot 1 comprises the civil engineering
work for the tunnels, stations, and structures between the Colomiers ancillary structure, near Colomiers Gare station, and the Laporte ancillary structure. The Eiffage/NGE consortium, which is
represented by Eiffage through its Eiffage Génie Civil subsidiary, will plan and construct a 2.4 mile-long (3.85km) tunnel for Lot 1 plus three stations, and four inter- station ancillary structures. The contract also includes the construction of three galleries connecting shafts to the tunnel. Lot 2, between the Laporte ancillary
structure and Raynal station, extends from Lot 1 and comprises a 5.2 mile-long (8.4km) tunnel and six stations. Further works for Eiffage/NGE on this neighboring
lot include five intersection structures, a tunnel connected to the maintenance area, and construction of nine safety galleries connecting shafts to the tunnel. For both contracts, the consortium says it
will employ “various advanced techniques”, such as a “next-generation tunnel boring machine” and fiber reinforced concrete (FRC) segmental lining, using less steel in most of the project. The consortium plans to cast the segments at a new plant in the Toulouse region. The Implenia/ Demathieu Bard
Construction JV is to build a 2.4 mile- long (3.8km) tunnel as well as other civil engineering works for four underground stations at depths of 79ft-128ft (24m-39m), and three ancillary structures. The JV has proposed using variable density tunnel boring to deal with different soil conditions. Tunnel lining is also to be FRC segments. Building Information Modelling (BIM) is being used for project planning and works execution.
TAC gears up for 2023 meet CANADA – The Tunnelling Association of Canada (TAC) has announced the time and location of its main annual conference this year – TAC 2023 – to be located in Toronto, Ontario, from September 24-26. The theme of TAC 2023 is ‘Smart
Solutions, Future Growth’. TAC has submitted a proposal to host
the World Tunnel Congress (WTC) and ITA General Assembly, in Montréal, in 2026. The host country for that year will be decided by a members’ vote at the WTC 2023, in Athens, in mid-May.
Rail R&D trial for hyperTunnel UK – hyperTunnel’s technology is to be trialled on underpass construction following a funding award from Europe’s first purpose-built rail innovation facility, the Global Centre of Rail Excellence (GCRE), in Wales. The company says its system is 10 times
faster and up to 50% more economical than current cut-and-cover construction methods. It focuses on a low-disruption approach using AI, digital surveying and swarm robotics to 3D print a structure in the ground before excavation. The rail underpass trial at the R&D
incubator site is one of 24 innovations to be tested for use in rail infrastructure during the first phase of a two-phase R&D competition. The second funding round involves a shortlist of 12 projects that are to be tested out on real sites, in 2024.
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