Projektbericht | Project Report

Hamburg’s U5 Subway Line: Tendering and Award Criteria for Sustainability Requirements

The decarbonisation of major infrastructure projects is a key factor in achieving climate targets in the transport sector. Public clients can contribute to this by incorporating sustainability criteria into their tendering and award conditions. Such measures can create incentives to use lower-emission building materials and construction methods, whilst also improving transparency in supply chains. Using the example of Hamburg’s U5 subway line, this article shows how sustainability can be integrated into procurement processes step by step, in compliance with public procurement law. The focus is on criteria for reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG emissions) and for addressing environmental and social risks, particularly within steel and concrete supply chains.

more
Switzerland

4th International Workshop “Injection Technology for Tunnelling”

On 16 and 17 September 2026, the 4th International Workshop on Injection Technology for Tunnelling will take place at the Hagerbach Test Gallery in Switzerland. The programme covers the planning, implementation and quality control of chemical injections during tunnel construction. As the number of participants is limited, please register as soon as possible.

more
Interview In Conversation: Georgios Anagnostou and Martin Herrenknecht

“The Gibraltar Tunnel Is Feasible”

Science meets mechanical engineering, theory meets practice, and academia meets industry. And Zurich meets Schwanau. Georgios Anagnostou and Martin Herrenknecht have a good reason to meet: A joint study by ETH Zurich and Herrenknecht AG on the feasibility of a tunnel under the Strait of Gibraltar has been finalised and concludes that this long-cherished dream is now technically feasible. A conversation among experts.

more
Fachtagungen | Conferences WBI

11th Rock Mechanics and Tunnelling Day

On June 11, 2026, the 11th Rock Mechanics and Tunnelling Day took place at the WBI Center in Weinheim, Germany. This year’s well-attended conference focused on the topics “Innovations in Tunnel...

more
Sanierung | Redevelopment Germany

Rehabilitation of a Tunnel From 1904 To Handle Modern Heavy Goods Traffic

The Holzminde is a small river that flows through the center of the town of Holzminden in southern Lower Saxony, Germany. The town’s proximity to the “red water”, as the Holzminde is popularly referred to, has shaped its development over the centuries – and in 1904, one section of the river was diverted into a tunnel structure. This made it possible to create enough space for new traffic routes in the town center. The result was the construction of what is now the state highway L550. More than a century later, the historic tunnel is once again the focus of an important infrastructure project: over the years, time had left its mark.

more