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Station design contract awarded on Gurgaon Metro Phase II project

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:40:59 GMT

The INR 1500M (USD 27M) second phase of the project will see a 6.5km rail line extend the network southwards and include six elevated metro stations - DLF Phase I, Sushant Lok, Sec. 42 Crossing, Sector 54-53, AIT Chowk and Sector 55-56. The stations will be situated above existing carriageways and will include residential and commercial spaces. Phase II is expected to be completed by late 2016.

Mott MacDonald will provide architectural, structural and building services design for the six stations. The project will seek to achieve LEED sustainability certification through the use of renewable energy sources such as solar power, energy efficient design and rain water harvesting.

Somnath Nandan, Mott MacDonald's project director, said: "Mott MacDonald has been involved with Delhi Metro for over a decade and we are delighted to offer our multidisciplinary consultancy services on the Gurgaon rapid metro development. Located 30km south of New Delhi, Gurgaon is the financial and industrial hub of the Haryana state. This project is an important step in providing a sustainable solution to the city's traffic congestion by reducing dependency on cars, inefficient urban sprawl and increasing the use of public transport."

Construction of Phase I, which comprises a 5.1km rail loop connecting Cyber City, NH-8 and Sikanderpur station on Delhi Metro Line 2, began in 2008.

KFC only a tunnel away

Wed, 22 May 2013 08:34:25 GMT

Customers of Al-Yamama, a delivery company in the Gaza City, will have to wait three hours and pay three times as much for the goods to be smuggled underground from al-Arish in Egypt, some 35 miles (56km) away.

The company posted a picture for the fast food on its website, and soon received more orders from the people in Gaza. Al-Yamama has made four deliveries of KFC food to Palestinians in Gaza over the last month.

Tyne pedestrian tunnel to close for revamp

Wed, 22 May 2013 03:54:06 GMT

The new 'inclined' lift can carry up to 27 people as well as accommodate bicycles, tandems wheelchairs, pushchairs and smaller motorised disabled scooters.

The Grade II-listed tunnel, which opened in 1951, is used for about 20,000 journeys each month.

SR 99 tunnel’s launch pit complete in Seattle

Tue, 21 May 2013 09:21:03 GMT

WSDOT stated that its completion clears the way for tunnelling to start this summer, once Bertha's 41 pieces have been reassembled and tested at the bottom of the pit.

Launch-pit construction started last summer in the work zone west of Seattle's stadiums. Before excavation began, crews drilled more than 200 piles as many as 100ft (30m) into the ground to form the pit's walls. The perimeter of the pit is 80ft (24m) wide and 400ft (122m) long.

Assembly of the machine started at the south end of the pit shortly after it arrived last month from Osaka, Japan. Now that the front end of the pit is complete, crews have started building the body of the machine near the spot where it will first push into Seattle's soil.

Crews are also preparing the surrounding area for tunnelling, including strengthening the soil and building protected work areas along the initial section of the tunnel route so they can perform scheduled inspections of the machine before it begins digging beneath downtown. Meanwhile, work continues near the north end of the Battery Street Tunnel to prepare the area where Bertha will emerge at the end of tunnelling.

Work starts on tunnels in Thua Thien-Hue province

Mon, 20 May 2013 09:36:50 GMT

The Phuoc Tuong and Phu Gia tunnels on National Highway 1A will be built with a total cost of over VND 1.7tn (USD 83M) under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model.

The 345m Phuoc Tuong and 497m Phu Gia tunnels are both 11.5m wide and include two lanes for vehicles.

The projects are expected to be completed within 18 months.

Preferred bidders unveiled for the first three Jakarta Metro tunnel contracts

Fri, 17 May 2013 09:47:09 GMT

The announcement was made at a groundbreaking ceremony in downtown Jakarta. Dono Boestami, managing director of MRT Jakarta, also confirmed that preferred bidders will soon be announced for the two remaining underground construction packages, together with the three contracts for the elevated section of the line.

Jakarta's governor, Joko Widodo, said he hopes the entire first line of the metro will be complete by 2017. The line will have six underground and seven elevated stations. Services will initially operate at five-minute headways and ridership is expected to reach 420,000 passengers per day after three years of operation.

Oslo subway contract awarded

Fri, 17 May 2013 09:45:25 GMT

The company has signed a contract with Kollektivtransportproduksjon (KTP) for constructing the subway at Løren, which will be included in the order bookings for Skanska Norway for the second quarter 2013 .

The contract is one of several enterprises in the extension of Lørenbanen subway. It involves, among other things, construction of several sections of tunnel up to 460m long, a station hall and road alterations as well as electrical and water supply construction.

The metro network in Oslo's eastern districts is being upgraded with a new 1.6km double track-line between Sinsen and Økern, the new underground station at Loren and improvements to the subway stations at Vestliveien, Romsås and Stovner.

Work will start next month is scheduled to be completed in October 2015 for opening during 2016.

Ilford Yard stabling project awarded

Fri, 17 May 2013 09:43:42 GMT

Crossrail announced yesterday that it attends to award the contract to VolkerFitzpatrick Limited. In line with European procurement rules the contract is subject to 10 day standstill period.

To deliver Crossrail services, around 60 new trains will be required, the company stated. Crossrail rolling stock will be stabled at Old Oak Common Depot, Ilford Depot, Gidea Park, Plumstead, Maidenhead and Shenfield. The contract covers the provision of additional stabling facilities at the existing Ilford Depot, which is located between Ilford and Seven Kings.

Crossrail will be making changes to a number of existing buildings at the Ilford Yard site. The work will ensure that the company can build 10 new sidings to house trains overnight and construct a new building for those who will be employed on site for Crossrail.

The depot will be vital for Crossrail¹s operation, the company added.
It will also create job opportunities during construction and up to 90 jobs once the depot upgrades have been completed.

Ilford Depot will remain an operational depot during the construction works.

Government HS2 tunnel rethink involves tunnel extension

Fri, 17 May 2013 09:40:00 GMT

During discussions with MPs and local authorities on the proposed route for phase two of HS2 from Birmingham to Leeds, concerns were raised by Leicestershire County Council, and MP for North West Leicestershire, Andrew Bridgen, in conjunction with Roxhill Developments Limited, that the proposed line could affect plans for a strategic rail freight interchange depot (SRFI) next to the airport.

The initial preferred route would have seen the new rail line cross the site of the proposed SRFI, which has the potential to create 7,000 jobs in the region, and threaten the feasibility of the proposed development.

After listening to these concerns, the Government has now developed a revised option involving extending the proposed tunnel under the East Midlands Airport, avoiding the majority of the proposed SRFI site. The Department for Transport will consult on the route later in the year as part of its public consultation on phase two, and after that consultation, a decision will be made. In the meantime, the developer will progress its plans for the proposed depot, the Government announced.

Patrick McLoughlin, transport secretary, said: "These changes have the potential to deliver huge economic benefits for the East Midlands on top of the already considerable opportunities HS2 will bring the region.

"They also show that we are both maximising the economic impact of HS2 as well as listening to concerns of those affected by it.

"We will continue to work with stakeholders, to identify critical issues such as Roxhill and propose revisions to the scheme where possible."

Kate Bedson, Senior Development Director at Roxhill added: Our proposals for a new SRFI with 6Msq.ft (0.56Msq.m) of associated warehousing have the potential to create 7,000 jobs, providing a boost to the economy in the region.

"Since the announcement, through our MP and local authority, we have enjoyed an early and positive dialogue with DfT and HS2 and are very pleased with the decision to amend the proposed route. This now allows us to consult with the public and other bodies on our plans before submitting our application at the end of the year."

The East Midlands region is already set to benefit from HS2 with an integrated high speed and classic rail station at Toton, creating a brand new, easily accessed hub station, the Government said. This will see journeys to London take 51 minutes, while the stations in Leeds, Sheffield, East Midlands and Birmingham will each be separated by a journey of less than 20 minutes.

Design contract awarded for Norwegian road tunnel

Fri, 17 May 2013 09:39:00 GMT

Sweco's assignment includes planning of a 9km long tunnel on Road E134. The company will contribute specialists such as geotechnical engineers, geologists, environmental experts and design engineers. As a result of the road project, the current hilly stretch of 23kms will be reduced to a straight and even distance of 12km.

"This is an important road project in the heart of Telemark. We look forward to developing a solution that increases traffic safety, shortens travel time and reduces environmental impact," said Tron Kjølhamar, president of Sweco Norway.