11th Rock Mechanics and Tunnelling Day on 11 June 2026
On 11 June 2026, the 11th Rock Mechanics and Tunnelling Day will take place at the WBI Center in Weinheim (Germany). The conference will be organized by WBI GmbH, sponsored by the German Railway (DB InfraGO AG) and supported by the German Engineering Association (Arbeitskreis Bautechnik of the Württembergische Ingenieurverein). This year, the authors from the fields of clients, the construction industry and planning deal with the following main topics:
Innovations in tunnel construction
Current and future projects of Deutsche Bahn
Future hydraulic engineering projects and energy transition
Registration Until 11 May 2026
The conference language of the event is German. Simultaneous translations from German to English or German to Spanish are possible. Registration for participation is possible until 11 Mai 2026, either by email: or via the online form on the website
www.felsmechanik.eu. The complete programme and all necessary travel information can also be found there.
Lecture Topics
The “Innovations in Tunnel Construction” segment includes presentations on current developments in structural fire protection for road tunnels and on Deutsche Bahn railway tunnels: new construction vs. maintenance of existing structures. Other presentations will focus on long-term experience with single-shell construction using steel fiber-reinforced sprayed concrete, as exemplified by the Carmel Tunnel in Israel, the use of steel fiber-reinforced segmental linings, based on tunnelling projects in London, and the current state of research and application of steel fiber-reinforced concrete in mechanical tunneling in Germany.
The second session, entitled “Current and future projects of Deutsche Bahn,” will deal with the new Frankfurt–Mannheim line, among other things. Here, the focus will be on determining the tunnelling methods in the planning stage. With regard to the tunnels on the Fulda–Gerstungen extension and new line, on the other hand, the influence of the ground conditions on the choice of route will be considered. Under the heading “Challenges in tunnel construction in inner-city areas,” the Wartberg tunnel will be discussed as part of the P-Option in Stuttgart. The tunnel construction activities for the 2nd S-Bahn Main Line in Munich are also on the agenda; the title of the presentation is “Experiences with RS 3 compressed air tunneling – A review of planning and execution.”
The concluding block of presentations, “Future hydraulic engineering projects and the energy transition,” opens with a report on the WGSPlus renewal program of Schluchseewerk AG: “From the past to the future. Using existing structures for new construction.” Other presentations will focus on the planning of a new 5 km long water transfer tunnel in the Eifel region and deep shafts for the energy transition in the major SuedLink project.
