Choosing the right tunnelling method for construction

View profile for Esha Diwakar

Geotech & Tunnel Engineer at Geoconsult India | TAIym Vice Secretary- Social Media| Tunnel FEM 2025 Young Women Achiever in Tunnelling Award | IITD'23 | HBTU'21

Beneath the Surface 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 3: 𝐌𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐝𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 After finalizing alignment and access, the next step is choosing how the tunnel will actually be built. The construction method depends on several factors: ● Geology - soft ground, mixed face, or hard rock ● Depth - shallow vs. deep underground ● Urban constraints - surface settlements, nearby buildings, traffic ● Length & purpose - short utility tunnels vs. long metro or highway tunnels Broadly, tunnelling can be carried out using Cut-and-Cover, Drill & Blast, NATM (New Austrian Tunnelling Method), or Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) - each with its own strengths depending on the situation. The infographic below gives a quick overview of these methods. Why this matters? Selecting the right tunnelling method ensures safety, minimizes risks, controls cost, and helps deliver the project on time - especially in dense urban areas. 📌 Next in the series: A closer look at NATM and why it’s called the “observational method” of tunnelling. #Tunnelling #UndergroundConstruction #GeotechnicalEngineering #InfrastructureDevelopment

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Esha Diwakar

Geotech & Tunnel Engineer at Geoconsult India | TAIym Vice Secretary- Social Media| Tunnel FEM 2025 Young Women Achiever in Tunnelling Award | IITD'23 | HBTU'21

1w

Thanku everyone for insights. Keep commenting more knowledgeable facts for better understanding 🙏

Pavan Kohli

Director (Civil) Retd. at HPSEBL

1w

Well done

Bulent ULUKAN

International Expert in Construction Management and Supervision of Transportation Infrastructures, Soil Mechanics, Rock Mechanics, Tunelling and Foundation Engineering / M.Sc in C.E

1w

Conventional tunneling with rigid RC lining in soft cohesive and/or granular soils where NATM is not applicable due to the absence of a load-bearing ring around the excavation, or used in combination with NATM in certain cases.

Majid Tajik

Tunnel & Underground Space Specialist | Engineering Geologist

1w

Immersed Tube, pipe jacking /micro tunneling

I D Dayal

Expert Hydro Power project , Ex Executive Director , NHPC . Presently Top Level Expert in WAPCOS. Ex Chairman, RHPCL, A JV of NHPC and Govt of J&J since June 2021

1w

Shielding method, NMT method

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