Cutting Edge 2013 Conference on Megaprojects … 3 – 5 November 2013, Seattle, Washington, USA

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British Tunnelling Society Conference and Exhibition 2013

Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Broad Sanctuary, London, Greater London SW1P 3EE, United Kingdom.

Delegate registration and Exhibition sales are now open … please visit - www.BTS2013.com Read more

Second Annual Women in Tunneling (WIT) Event

Women in Tunneling (WIT) is the industry’s first group developed specifically for women working in tunneling. The group’s purpose is to bring women together to meet, create networking opportunities and further develop the industry’s talent pool.

The number of women in tunneling has grown in recent years. We want to maintain the trend by spreading the word about the industry and the many advantages that it provides to female graduates and workers.

Second Annual Women in Tunneling (WIT) Event

Please join us for an evening of mingling and discussion at RETC 2013 … Food and drinks will be provided

The UCA of SME sponsored event will be held on Sunday, June 23 from 6:30-8pm, at the Omni Shoreham Hotel (Robert Private Dining Room), 2500 Calvert Street NW, Washington DC

To attend, please contact Mary O’Shea at SME, email: oshea@smenet.org; tel: +1 303 948 4211

To get involved and stay updated on group events and discussions, join our LinkedIn page here.

‘A Catalogue of Tunnel Collapses’ … Updated to October 2012

Tunnelling Journal is giving every reader free access to an exhaustive listing of international Tunnel Collapses. The document ‘Catalogue of Notable Tunnel Failure Case Histories’, courtesy of, and compiled by, the Mainland East Division, Geotechnical Engineering Office, Civil Engineering and Development Department of Hong Kong details 36 international collapses, and a further 6 specifically in Hong Kong. Each case, subject to the information available, includes a basic description of the event (many illustrated), the probable cause, the remedial measures undertaken, and the consequences and lessons learned. Some 60 references are also included for further reading. The document is live and will be updated from time to time. To download this must-have listing go to:

http://www.cedd.gov.hk/eng/publications/geo/doc/HK%20NotableTunnel%20Cat.pdf

Join us at the World Tunnel Congress 2013

May 31 – June 7, 2013 – Geneva, Switzerland … for more information about the programme, exhibition and sponsoring, registration and social programme, please visit www.WTC2013.ch

The programme is packed at the World Tunnel Congress 2013

With only about 10 weeks to go, from 31 May to 7 June, both the WTC 2013 and the 39th general assembly of the “International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association” will take place under the motto “Underground – the way to the future”. The Swiss Tunnelling Society (STS) is the host in the beautiful Swiss city of Geneva.

Switzerland is well known for both its scenic landscapes and its outstanding infrastructure as well as its well-developed transportation system. The many innovative solutions employed in the construction of Switzerland’s numerous tunnels and underground facilities have demonstrated the nation’s pioneer spirit time and again, underscoring its position at the top of the tunnel construction technology field.

A varied and intensive programme

The organising committee of the WTC 2013 has shown a great deal of creativity and commitment in making the World Tunnel Congress 2013 an outstanding experience in many respects. In addition to traditional elements such as the ITA CET training course (this year covering the topic of Auxiliary Construction Measures), several events will be held for the first time. For example, there will be a presentation forum within the exhibit and a special session for Swiss tunnel construction students. Among the several totally new programme points, two technical events of the ITA tech Committee will take place. One is the so-called deminar on 31 May in the Hagerbach test gallery. The deminar consists of a seminar in which the theoretical aspects will be explained and of a practical demonstration of the application of sprayable membranes for sealing tunnels. The other is the “ITA tech Innovation Forum” to be held, at which the guidelines prepared by ITA tech will be presented.

Extraordinary social events and technical excursions

The non-technical areas of the World Tunnel Congress 2013 have also received a good deal of attention. The reception will take place against the backdrop of the Musée Ariana, and the traditional banquet will be held on Wednesday evening on board three large steamships on Lake Geneva. In addition to these, numerous smaller cultural events will take place. Various technical excursions will be offered after the WTC 2013 which will not only take

participants to impressive tunnel construction sites, but also to some of Switzerland’s most scenic destinations as well as to interesting manufacturing operations in which typical Swiss products such as clocks and watches, cheese and chocolate are made.

Early bird discount until the end of February

Register now for this exceptional event and benefit from the early bird discount until the end of February. Because soon it will be time to say: Welcome to the WTC 2013!

Welcome address M. Bosshard, President STS

On behalf of the Swiss Tunnelling Society, I would like to invite you to attend the 2013 ITA-AITES World Tunnel Congress and 39th General Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, from May 31 to June 7, 2013.

Switzerland is renowned for its natural beauty as well as its excellent infrastructure and transportation system. The structural engineering exhibited by many of Switzerland’s 2,500 tunnels testifies to the country’s tremendous capacity for innovation and its pioneering spirit, as well as to the fact that Switzerland has always been in the technological vanguard of the tunnelling industry.

One of the prime examples of Swiss tunnelling expertise is the 57 kilometre long Gotthard tunnel, which is also the world’s longest railway tunnel. Such tunnels are vital for Switzerland due to our mountainous topography and the massive number of trucks and trains that transit through Swiss territory. Also, the demand of Switzerland’s densely populated cities for transportation infrastructure is growing, and in view of the limited space available these structures have to be built underground under daunting above and below ground geological and environmental conditions. Examples of such projects include Zurich Cross Rail and the CEVA project in Geneva.

Switzerland has always extended a warm welcome to visitors interested in discovering our cultural life, our expertise, and the country’s natural scenic beauty, and we invite you to do likewise. Geneva is known as the “capital of peace“ thanks to its congenial and cosmopolitan atmosphere, and the fact that the European headquarters of the UN is located here, as are the headquarters of the Red Cross.

I very much look forward to seeing you in Geneva.

Martin Bosshard
President of the Swiss Tunnelling Society

Tunnelling Journal Exclusive

Hong Kong’s Geotechnical Engineering Office has recently issued the GEO Report No. 249, “Ground Control for Slurry TBM Tunnelling.” Download your free copy of this ‘must read’ paper from the Civil Engineering and Development Department website, using the link below:  http://www.cedd.gov.hk/eng/publications/geo_reports/geo_rpt249.htm