In May 2025, the 51st World Tunnel Congress (WTC) was held in Stockholm. This is the most important international annual event in the field of tunnels and underground works, organised by the ITA-AITES International Tunnel Association, with the collaboration, on this occasion, of the Swedish Rock Engineering Association as an entity representing the host country. The congress brings together professionals from the industry of tunnel construction and underground works, including engineers, manufacturers, suppliers and experts in this field, to discuss the latest advances, share knowledge and promote the latest techniques and technologies.
In this edition, the congress brought together more than 3,000 specialists and professionals from all over the world, consolidating itself as the reference platform for the exchange of knowledge and innovation in underground engineering.
TYPSA’s presence at this event was of great importance, reaffirming its commitment to technical excellence, sustainability and digitalisation as key drivers for underground infrastructures in the future. The corporate stand in the exhibition area was a meeting point for clients, partners and professionals in the sector, where our global capabilities in tunnel projects were presented and new opportunities for international collaboration were explored.
The company’s important role in tunnel projects, both in Scandinavia and in other regions of the world was showcased. Among the most significant projects in the area, TYPSA has participated in the preliminary and detailed design of the Stockholm metro blue line, currently carrying out this same work for the expansion of the yellow line, in the development of the Moss station, in the modernisation of the railway network in Viken County in Norway, and in the Sotra project, also in Norway.
TYPSA’s participation, both in working groups (WG) and at the ITA general assembly (GA), is summarised in the following actions:
- TYPSA’s presence at the two sessions held during the general assembly: Pedro Ramírez, vice-president of AETOS for international relations, took part, as a Spanish delegate, in the assembly, which is currently made up of 81 countries from all continents.
- Presence in working groups: Several TYPSA professionals actively participated in meetings and presentations in the working groups: among others, Aida Santos at WG-22, Information modelling in tunnelling, and Pedro Ramírez at WG-20, Urban problems, underground solutions.
- Aida Santos was elected vice-president of the Young Tunnelers Group (ITAym).
- Francisco Ríos was in charge of moderating the session: Conventional tunelling 2- large or shallow tunnels.
In addition, the following technical articles were presented, with TYPSA among their authors:
- Use of special segments for ground freezing treatment during cross passage construction. Torelló, H. Castellvi, A. Denia, D. Hoerrle & F. Acosta.
- Tunnel excavation through the fault zone in Mårtensdal using the freezing method A. Åkerlind, F. Ríos Bayona & C-O. Söder.
- Mined cross-passages and ring openings on the Sydney Metro West Central Tunnelling Package. A safe and enhanced design approach. Aida Santos, A. Gómez- Elvira, C. Katpakanathan & A. Harding.
In addition, the following communications, which aroused great interest among the attendees, were exhibited in the poster sessions, with oral presentation, and are compiled in the publication Tunnelling into a Sustainable Future – Methods and Technologies, published by CRC Press.
- Elastic deformation of rock fracture under high pressure grouting. Benefits and Disadvantages. Rafi. M. Rahman, B. Stille.
- Tunnelling under water passage Ladugårdslandsviken- technical design and as built rock reinforcement. Indridason, L. Hassler, M. Rahman.
- Curtain grouting for open cut excavation – hydrogeological analysis and design methods. Rahman, E. Dehkordi, T. Zeray.
- Design and construction of a very large and shallow-span metro station cavern in an urban area S. Thirukumaran. Kozak, D. Oliveira, R. Angulo, N. Diez.
The solid track record of TYPSA and the Group’s tunnel companies consolidates their status as an international benchmark in the design, supervision and management of underground infrastructures, as demonstrated at this congress.
