We feature a fascinating Harding Prize runner-up paper on the Bank Station Upgrade in London. There, tunnels were driven through a ‘forest’ of under-reamed piles, all achieved by truncations and innovative load pile transfer structures. While a revealing article from Switzerland-based Amberg Engineering compares metro projects in Europe and Asia.
The article by Nick Barton (‘Tunnels and stations that should be deeper’) was written in December 2006. It anticipated the dangers of shallow tunnelling for metros in urban areas well before collapses occurred in Sao Paulo and other cities. Barton stresses that deeper tunnels do not have to mean higher construction costs. The paper could not be published before. We are pleased to be able to publish it here.
Things are slowly getting back to normal but we have a way to go and there are several clouds on the horizon. Issues such as the cost of energy, rising inflation, the war in Ukraine, food supply, material shortages, the cost of oil, the climate crisis, mass resignations and talk of depressions will continue to take their toll on global industry. In fact, I can’t remember a time when we have faced so many pressing problems. simultaneously.
On top of all that, you find that despite my previous utterances, I’m still here. But this issue of TTNA really is my last and I’m pleased to say that a new editor is preparing to start. Patrick Reynolds is an accomplished construction industry writer with much experience of tunneling – and a regular contributor to T&T, so he will ‘hit the ground running’.
Talking of running, it’s time to go. I’d like to thank all of you who have read, contributed and advertised with TTNA. Hopefully we will all meet again, maybe at NAT or some other tunneling event. Bye for now.
George Demetri Editor
