All over the world, private and freight traffic will continue to increase. According to the German Federal Statistical Office, even now more than half of all people live in cities and the surrounding areas. Globalisation and urbanisation are causing these infrastructure developments. As a result, people, raw materials and goods are being moved around more than ever before. Civil engineering is confronted with increasing demands; this includes structures for transport and utility networks. Tunnels and bridges are key elements. Such projects are normally tendered internationally. For business reasons, the bidding companies must be able to use reliable and exactly definable construction machines or formwork and scaffolding systems.

One year after the incident of 12 August 2017, works are proceeding at the Rastatt Tunnel. The removal of the concrete plug in the east bore has been completed and the detailed investigation program was finished in September 2018. The evidence gathering and arbitration process agreed between the consortium Tunnel Rastatt (Hochtief and Züblin) and Deutsche Bahn to clarify the causes of the damage during tunnel driving will last until the start of 2019.

The next World Tunnel Congress will be held in Naples from 3rd to 9th May 2019. The conference A key event for the engineering and geotechnical sectors linked to tunnelling, promoted by the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (ITA-AITES) and Società Italiana Gallerie (SIG). This WTC will be characterized by a distinctive and unique perspective due to the inclusion of themes suggested by the city of Naples and its context, and more generally by the Italian background.

On September 18, 2018, ASFINAG (Austrian Motorway Authority) heralded in the complete further development of the Karawanken Tunnel with the ground-breaking ceremony on the A 11 Karawanken motorway. Thanks to this new structure cofinanced by the EU, the two-way section on the important north-south link between Austria and Slovenia will soon be a thing of the past. During the course of the next five years therefore, the second, almost 8 km long tube will be excavated from both sides.

Herrenknecht AG is a globally successful family business with 5000 employees and the market leader, not only for tunnel boring machines. Since the founding of Herrenknecht GmbH in 1977 by – as described aptly in the company chronicle – “namesake, driving force and CEO” Dr.-Ing. E. h. Martin Herrenknecht, the company has developed dynamically and convinced again and again with technically sophisticated solutions to problems in underground construction. Meanwhile, Martin-Devid Herrenknecht, engineer and one of three children, has joined the company. Rarely does one have the opportunity to meet both father and son for a very personal interview with fascinating statements on the market, technologies and the future of tunnel construction.

In the “Albvorland Tunnel” section of the Stuttgart–Ulm rail project, some areas are being implemented with the assistance of Building Information Modeling. The following BIM application cases were defined: 3D-assisted design and collision detection (3D), linking of the schedule with the 3D model to check construction sequence and date collisions (4D), linking of the bill of quantities with the 3D model and the schedule (5D) to produce cost curve analyses and monitor construction progress and performance reports, reporting for the clear illustration of the significant key numbers to the BIM application cases.

The 3.25 km long Gubrist Tunnel on the Zurich North Bypass (A1) is a neuralgic infrastructure on the Swiss motorway network. As a reaction to the permanent congestion in the twin tunnel that was commissioned in 1985, a third tube as well as ventilation and operating centres are being built. The article in tunnel 5/2018 explains the project’s characteristics and challenges with particular attention being paid to BIM modelling of the underground operating centre.