GREEK-LED GROUP SIGNS 3.2 BLN EUR CONSTRUCTION DEAL IN QATAR

Greece's biggest construction group Ellaktor said on Thursday it signed a 3.2 billion euro ($4.4 billion) contract to build a subway line in Qatar. Greek-led group signs 3.2 bln eur construction deal in Qatar Thu, Apr 24 12:20 PM EDT * Ellaktor leads Alysj joint venture in Qatar deal * Joint venture to build subway line in Doha * Greece's biggest builder expands abroad to offset local slump ATHENS, April 24 (Reuters) - Greece's biggest construction group Ellaktor said on Thursday it signed a 3.2 billion euro ($4.4 billion) contract to build a subway line in Qatar. Ellaktor, which has been expanding its foreign business to cope with an economic crisis at home, said in an Athens bourse filing it owned a 32 percent stake in joint venture Alysj, which won the "Gold Line Underground" project in Qatar's capital city of Doha. Construction of the 32-kilometre long tube is expected to be completed in 2018, Ellaktor said, boosting the company's construction backlog of currently 3 billion euros. The firm did not reveal its joint venture partners in the Qatar project. Foreign operations, mainly in the Balkans and the Middle East, account for about a third of the company's backlog. Once a major driver of the Greek economy, construction has slumped by more than 75 percent due to austerity policies imposed on bailed-out Greece by its international lenders. But the prospects of Greece's construction industry are improving after public finances stabilised and the country returned to bond markets earlier this month. Titan, the country's biggest cement maker, said it expected demand for cement to grow this year for the first time since 2006, on the back of public investment. Ellaktor is participating in a 7.6 billion euro toll road project that Greece unfroze in recent months. ($1 = 0.7231 Euros) (Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou; editing by Harry Papachristou and Elaine Hardcastle) ============= Qatar Rail sees delivery of first tunnel boring machine By: Shabina S. Khatri | 1 hour agoView as "Clean Read" | 2 Comments 284 SHARES EmailUPrint Qatar Rail The first of 21 massive tunnel boring machines (TBM) to be used to dig parts of the Doha Metro has arrived in Qatar. The TBM, named “Lebethra,” was made in Germany and will be put to work on the Red Line North, along with three other soon-to-arrive machines named Al Khor, Al Mayeda and Al Bidda. QRail Some 10 stations are expected to be completed for the Red Line North and eight stations for the Red Line South in the first phase of construction. It and parts of the Gold and Green lines will open to passenger traffic in 2019. How it works The TBMS will be used to cut circular holes in the ground beneath Doha for all the lines. Previously, Qatar Rail officials said all 21 machines would be working by 2015, adding that residents may feel “minor vibrations” during work. In a statement, the company said: “TBM Lebretha will travel a distance of approx. 7.954 km and will take approx. 22 months to complete – between Q3 2014 to Q2 2016). The average speed will be between 14m/day to 21 m/day, depending on ground conditions. And its daily excavation quantity will be approx. 680m³, with a predicted total excavation quantity of 5,408,720m³. Each of the TBMs for the Doha Metro measure 7.05m in diameter and 120m in length, therefore to ensure transportation was successfully managed, TBM Lebretha was dismantled into 22 sections which were easier to transport including the cutter head.” Lebethra is currently in the process of being reassembled after journeying to Qatar and is supposed to become operational in the third quarter of this year. It will work at the launch site of Al Wahda, next to the Qatar Exhibition Center. In addition to the four TBMs that will be used on the Red Line North, Qatar Rail explained in a statement the distribution of the other machines for the first phase of the project: •Red Line South will receive 5 TBMs; •Green Line will receive 6 TBMs; and •Gold Line will receive 6 TBMs. Thoughts? ================ Announcement of Important Fact ELLAKTOR informs the Investment Community that its subsidiary AKTOR, as the leader of ALYSJ JV, with percentage of 32%, signed the contract for the design and construction of the project “Gold Line Underground” in Doha, Qatar. The project forms part of Qatar Integrated Rail Project and the Gold Line is by far the largest singular construction package of the Doha Metro. The value of the contract is Euro 3.2bn including an option for the client of Euro 770m. The route of the Gold Line traverses Doha, Capital of the State of Qatar, from East to West. Key figures include: - Total of 32km bore tunnelling with diameter of 6 metres - Tunnelling lined with approximately 128,000 segments - 6 Tunnel Boring Machines (TBM) utilised simultaneously - 13 underground stations fitted out with high-end finishes and state of the art MEP systems - 2.5 million m3 of excavation for the stations - 1 million m3 of concreting - Project includes traffic and utility diversions. The project duration is 54 months and is due to be completed August of 2018. This project reinforces Aktor’s presence in Qatar and the Middle East as well as the strategic positioning as a leading international contractor. Kifissia, 24/4/2014 ==========================

15 German tunnel boring machines for Doha Metro

February 26, 2014 - 3:25:52 am The Minister of Transport H E Jassim Seif Ahmed Al Sulaiti (centre) with other officials at the Herrenknecht plant in Schwanau. DOHA: The German company Herrenknecht will soon deliver 15 high-tech tunnel boring machines (TBM) for the Doha Metro project. A Qatari delegation, led by the Minister of Transport H E Jassim Seif Ahmed Al Sulaiti yesterday visited the Herrenknecht plant in Schwanau to have a closer look at the first TBM for the project. Former chancellor Gerhard Schrِoder was also present. TBMs are important for the project as majority of work is done underground, said a senior Qatar Rail official. The delegation of senior representatives of Qatar Rail, the joint venture QDVC/GS Engineering and Construction /Al Darwish Engineering and the Qatari consul inspected the first machine which is ready for use, a statement said yesterday. The minister underscored the importance of the project and said, “Qatar holds its hopes and aspirations for the future in accordance with Qatar National Vision 2030. One of the most important elements in fulfilling the vision is infrastructure. We have allocated tremendous resources and a generous budget to upgrade infrastructure, including Qatar Rail’s Doha Metro project.” Engineer Abdulla Abdulaziz Turki Al Subaie, Managing Director, Qatar Railways Company (Qatar Rail), said, “Qatar Rail has placed full faith in Herrenknecht’s abilities to deliver exceptional quality products with attention to detail; that’s why it has been selected to supply TBMs.” Engineer Saad Ahmed Al Muhannadi, CEO, Qatar Rail said, “TBMs are important for the Doha Metro project as there is minimal interference in the day-to-day life of people working and living in the city as a vast majority of work is done underground with only one point of entry. “The environmental impact is also minimal, with almost no pollutants released into the air or groundwater. A decision will be made soon to determine the best TBM for Qatar’s geological makeup; however, the Earth Pressure Balance (EPB) and Slurry Shield types are most suitable.” Martin Herrenknecht, Founder and Chairman of the board of Herrenknecht AG, thanked the Minister, client representatives and contractors for confidence in German technology. “With our high-tech TMBs and reliability we will contribute everything possible to ensuring Doha gets a metro tunnel system to the highest global standards.” The Lehwaila and Al Wakra EPB shield with a diametre of 7,050mm and a cutting head drive of 1120kW were ordered by QDVC/GS Engineering/Al Darwish. The joint venture is responsible for the construction of the metro section Red Line South. The Red Line will handle the bulk of the national transport and connect the most important stadiums of the World Cup in 2022. As a central line it will also connect the city with the airport and the West Bay Central. For expansion of the first section of the Doha Metro, Herrenknecht will supply 15 EPB shield TBMs. By 2019, they are to drive about 90km of tunnel through the limestone foundation of Doha for the Red Line South, Red Line North and the Green Line. There are plans to complete a second section by 2026. Then the Doha Metro with 93 stations, four lines and over 354km length will connect residential and business centres of the capital with each other and the suburbs. The Peninsula =================== Four more tunnel boring machines arrive for Doha Metro project June 05, 2014 - 6:42:50 am A German-made tunnel boring machine (TBM) being delivered at the Doha Port yesterday. Qatar Railways Company (Qatar Rail) has received four more TBMs for phase one of the Doha Metro project. DOHA: Qatar Railways Company (Qatar Rail) has received four more tunnel boring machines (TBMs) for phase one of the Doha Metro project. The TBMs Al Mayeda, Al Khor, Lehwaila and Al Wakra were manufactured by Germany’s Herrenknecht and will be used for the Red Line North and South Underground projects. TBMs are ideal for Doha; they interfere very little to the vibrant and active city life. Needing only one point of entry, they can tunnel below the city streets, practically unknown to the population above. They are also ideal for longer lengths of uninterrupted tunnelling, as is required for the Doha Metro project, Qatar Rail said yesterday in a press statement. Al Mayeda and Al Khor will be used for the Red Line North Underground. The design and build for the project will be undertaken by a joint venture led by Italy’s Salini Impregilo. Four TBMs (Lebretha, Al Mayeda, Al Khor and Al Bidda) already on site to be assembled) are proposed to bore required tunnels for the Red Line North project. Lehwaila and Al Wakra will be launched for the Red Line South Underground project. The design and build for the project will be undertaken by a joint venture led by the French-Qatari company QDVC Five TBMs (Lehwaila, Al Wakra, Mushaireb, Doha and Al Zubara) will be utilised for the tunnelling on the Red Line South Underground project. Each TBM will travel between 7km and 9km and take about two years to complete their journeys. The TBM average speed will be between 12m/day and 21m/day, depending on ground conditions. Daily excavation quantity will be over 600 cubic metres, with an estimated predicted total excavation quantity of over 5,000,000 cubic metres. Work for Red Line North Underground comprises design and construction of about 13.4km twin-bored tunnel, including seven underground stations, between the proposed Msheireb Underground Station and Doha Golf Course via Doha West Bay. Tunnels will be built at an average depth of about 20 meters below ground. Red Line South Underground extends from Msheireb in the north to Hamad International Airport in the south. Work includes seven underground stations and design and construction of about 14km twin-bored tunnel to be built at an average depth of about 25 meters below ground. Qatar Rail is awaiting the delivery of another 16 TBMs in the coming months, to be utilised between the Red Line North, Red Line South, Green Line and Gold Line Underground projects. The Green Line, a joint venture led by Austria’s PORR Bau, will receive six TBMs, while the Gold Line – recently awarded a design and build contract to a joint venture led by Greece’s Aktor SA – will also receive six TBMs. The Peninsula ======================================