By rosebell
Early-bird registration is now open for the ITA World Tunnel Congress 2027 (WTC2027), which will take place in Antwerp, Belgium, from 23 to 29 April 2027.
Delegates registering by 15 January 2027 at 23:59 CET can benefit from reduced fees. Standard delegate registration starts at €975, while the rate for young professionals under 35 starts at €500.
The congress is being organised by the Belgian Tunnelling Association (ABTUS-BVOTS) in partnership with the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (ITA-AITES). Returning to Belgium after 47 years, WTC2027 will be held under the theme “Underground Creativity to Meet Societal Needs”.
The event is expected to bring together engineers, contractors, asset owners, researchers and policymakers from more than 60 countries to discuss developments in tunnelling and underground space.
Strong interest from the international tunnelling community
The call for papers has attracted more than 890 full paper submissions, which are currently undergoing scientific review.
The technical programme, scheduled for 26–28 April, will cover 12 topic areas, including conventional and mechanised tunnelling, sustainability and resilience, urban underground development, safety, lifecycle management, digital transformation and economic viability.
More than 200 exhibitors and sponsors are also expected to participate.
Programme highlights
The congress programme includes:
- ITACET Training Course: 23–24 April
- Opening Ceremony and Muir Wood Lecture: 26 April, featuring Eivind Grøv, who has more than 40 years of tunnelling experience
- Technical sessions, exhibition and poster areas: 26–28 April
- Young Members sessions: 26 April
- Social events: Welcome Reception on 25 April, Young Members Social Event on 26 April and Banquet Dinner on 28 April
- Technical tours: 29 April, including visits to the Oosterweel Link project, the pre-metro tunnels, the HADES underground research facility, the Beverentunnel and the Westerscheldetunnel
Registration and key deadlines
Early-bird registration is available until 15 January 2027 at 23:59 CET. Special group registration packages are offered to organisations registering five or more colleagues.
Authors whose papers are accepted for the programme must complete their registration by 7 February 2027.
