ITA Annual Meeting and World Tunnel Congress
2017 in Bergen

Quelle/credit: Marvin Klostermeier

1 In mid-June 1500 tunnellers got together for the 2017 WTC in the “Grieghallen” in Bergen, Norway

Quelle/credit: Marvin Klostermeier

2 The successful opening event was accompanied by classical music by the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg

Quelle/credit: Marvin Klostermeier

Quelle/credit: Roland Leucker

3 Dr. Christian Thienert dealt with the latest recognitions from the “Cyber Safe” project at the COSUF Workshop

Quelle/credit: Roland Leucker

Quelle/credit: Marvin Klostermeier

4 Site visit in the Ulriken Tunnel

Quelle/credit: Marvin Klostermeier

Quelle/credit: Roland Leucker

5 Arne Hjeltnes presented the opening event

Quelle/credit: Roland Leucker

6 Frode Nilsen, chairman of the Norwegian Tunnelling Society, welcomed the participants

Quelle/credit: Roland Leucker

7 Tarcísio B. Celestino, president of the ITA, opened the congress

Quelle/credit: Roland Leucker

Quelle/credit: Marvin Klostermeier

8 The Norwegian Crown Prince Haaken Magnus (centre) visiting the WTC exhibition

Quelle/credit: Marvin Klostermeier

Quelle/credit: Roland Leucker

9 Tom-Christer Nilsen, undersecretary in the Ministry of Transport, dealt with the importance of tunnelling for Norway

Quelle/credit: Roland Leucker

10 Professor Hăkan Stille presented this year’s Muir-Wood Lecture

Quelle/credit: Roland Leucker

11 Professor Nuh Bilgin reported on the three TBM drives in Istanbul

Quelle/credit: Roland Leucker

12 Dr. Nick Barton delivered a paper on the special characteristics of the tunnel construction material “rock”

Quelle/credit: Roland Leucker

13 Øyvind Engelstad provided examples of how underground spaces are utilised in Norway

Quelle/credit: Roland Leucker

14 Nigeria is a new member nation of the ITA: Abidemi Agwor (on the left), president of the Nigerian Tunnelling Association, accepts the instrument of accession from Tarcísio Celestino

Quelle/credit: Roland Leucker

Quelle/credit: Marvin Klostermeier

15 Piergiorgio Grasso, vice-president of the ITACET Foundation, pays tribute to Dr. Martin Herrenknecht (on the left)

Quelle/credit: Marvin Klostermeier

Quelle/credit: Roland Leucker

16 The ITACET Award went to the Nepalese Tunnelling Committee

Quelle/credit: Roland Leucker

17 Arild Petter Søvik reporting on PIARC activities

Quelle/credit: Roland Leucker

18 Jurij Karlovšek, has taken over the eldership of the new WG 22 on Information Modeling in Tunnelling

Quelle/credit: Roland Leucker

19 The representatives of the Malaysian Tunnelling Committee are delighted that the 2020 WTC is being held in Kuala Lumpur

Quelle/credit: Roland Leucker

20 The ITA Executive Council prior to the election of its new members

Quelle/credit: Roland Leucker

Quelle/credit: Marvin Klostermeier

21 Closing event in the Grieghallen

Quelle/credit: Marvin Klostermeier

More than 1500 tunnellers from 52 countries met in Bergen, Norway, from June 9 to 14, 2017. The occasion was the 43^rd Annual Meeting of the ITA (International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association) in conjunction with the 2017 World Tunnel Congress (WTC).

The Tunnel Congress organised by the NFF (Norwegian Tunnelling Society) in collaboration with the ITA bore the slogan “Surface Challenges – Underground Solutions”. 52 of the 74 ITA member nations were present in Bergen. This meant that the 70 % attendance figure registered was 8 % lower than last year in the USA (see info box on page 53).