The advent of the Internet means that many of you get your news online, often as it happens. This can be a problem for a monthly print magazine. We are therefore limiting our news coverage in T&TI, but will continue to post breaking news regularly on the T&TI website (www.tunnelsonline.info). We have also dispensed with the Big Picture which, with other changes, allows more space to be devoted to projects, technical articles and papers.

Rules of Thumb will now be written by a different subject matter expert every month. This is a better arrangement than having the same author monthly, as no man can be an expert on all aspects of tunnelling. For the coming months, we have some acknowledged tunnel experts lined up for numerous topics.

To a certain extent, we rely on our readers for incisive articles on tunnel projects or research they may have been involved with. So please send in your project articles or technical papers on any aspect of tunnelling. Details on word length, format, image files and other information can be supplied on demand.

I also hope to devote more space to your letters and responses. Letters are the lifeblood of any magazine and make for a livelier read, so please keep your letters coming in on anything within these pages. This month, for a really stimulating read, we have an extended letter from Dr Nick Barton (pp10-11). Hopefully it will encourage more of you to write in.

The T&TI redesign would have been immeasurably poorer without the invaluable advice and guidance of our Editorial Advisory Board whose members (listed, right) will continue to provide guidance on the magazine. Finally, a big thank you to all our contributors, advertisers and subscribers for sticking with us through what has been a difficult 15 months for all. We look forward to working with all of you in the future.

George Demetri Editor