{"id":20197,"date":"2026-08-08T05:14:42","date_gmt":"2026-08-08T05:14:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tunnelingworld.com\/?p=20197"},"modified":"2026-08-08T05:14:42","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T05:14:42","slug":"ita-tunnelling-awards-2026-finalists-announced","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tunnelingworld.com\/?p=20197","title":{"rendered":"ITA Tunnelling Awards 2026 Finalists Announced"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (ITA) is pleased to announce the finalists for the ITA Tunnelling Awards 2026, recognizing outstanding achievements in underground infrastructure, engineering excellence, innovation and emerging talent from around the world.<\/p>\n<p>This year\u2019s finalists represent 29 outstanding projects and individuals from 17 countries and regions, showcasing the diversity, technical excellence and innovation that continue to advance the tunnelling and underground space industry.<\/p>\n<p>The finalists have been selected across eight award categories:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Major Projects<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Beijing East Sixth Ring Road Tunnel (China)<\/li>\n<li>GTX-A Metropolitan Express Railway Deep Tunnel between Unjeong\u2013Samsung Station (South Korea)<\/li>\n<li>Riyadh Metro Lines 1 &amp; 2: Underground Backbone of the World\u2019s Longest Driverless Metro (Saudi Arabia)<\/li>\n<li>HS2 MWCC C1 Chiltern Tunnels and Shafts (United Kingdom)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Projects \u20ac100\u2013500 Million<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Inter-Terminal Bored Tunnels (ITBT) \u2013 Changi Airport (Singapore)<\/li>\n<li>Monsanto\u2013Santa Apol\u00f3nia Tunnel from the Lisbon Drainage Master Plan (Portugal)<\/li>\n<li>Relocation of Sha Tin Sewage Treatment Works to Caverns \u2013 Main Caverns Construction (Hong Kong, China)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Projects up to \u20ac100 Million<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Ollachea Tunnel (Peru)<\/li>\n<li>Novaliches\u2013Balara Aqueduct 4 (Philippines)<\/li>\n<li>Lisbon Metro Circular Line Extension \u2013 Lot 1 (Rato\u2013Santos) (Portugal)<\/li>\n<li>Lisbon Metro Circular Line Extension \u2013 Lot 2 (Santos\u2013Cais do Sodr\u00e9) (Portugal)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Rehabilitation, Upgrading and Re-purposing Projects<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Beverentunnel Renovation (Belgium)<\/li>\n<li>Howard Street Tunnel (United States)<\/li>\n<li>Kennedy Railway Tunnel Renovation, Antwerp (Belgium)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Technical Innovation<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Automated Primary Supports for Tunnelling Under Tectonic Stresses and Severe Squeezing \u2013 Terzo Valico dei Giovi (Italy)<\/li>\n<li>Key Technologies for Shield Cutting and Crossing Reinforced Concrete Diaphragm Walls of Operating Subway Stations (China)<\/li>\n<li>A World-First TBM-Excavated Spiral Ramp in Hard Granite for Radioactive Waste Disposal (China)<\/li>\n<li>Complete Equipment and Construction Technology for Vertical Excavation of Ultra-Large-Diameter Prefabricated Shafts (China)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Product \/ Equipment Innovation<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Use of Precast Lining and Automated Lining Erector Machine in Mined Tunnels (Australia)<\/li>\n<li>AI-powered High-precision Robot for Installing Arc-shaped Bottom Box Culverts in Shield Tunnels (China)<\/li>\n<li>TBM Integrated Sensing Equipment (China)<\/li>\n<li>The Cube System \u2013 An Ultra Low Headroom Diaphragm Wall Machine (Belgium)<\/li>\n<li>TPC Group Server, Drive Map and Tunnelytics (Germany)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Elevated Thinking<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Elevating Energy Viability: Sustainable LPG Storage in Engineered Rock Caverns (India)<\/li>\n<li>Planning and Construction of the \u201c#\u201d Shaped Underground Road System in Shanghai CBD Core Area (China)<\/li>\n<li>Hipogeo Santiago Bernab\u00e9u Stadium (Spain)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Young Tunneller of the Year<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Wojciech Mleczko (Poland)<\/li>\n<li>Xu Chen (China)<\/li>\n<li>Gabriel Lehmann (Germany)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This year\u2019s shortlist reflects the breadth of expertise across the global tunnelling community, from major transport and water infrastructure projects to pioneering technical innovations, cutting-edge equipment and inspiring young professionals. China leads the shortlist with eight finalists, followed by Portugal and Belgium with three finalists each, demonstrating the international reach and excellence of the awards.<\/p>\n<p>The winners of the ITA Tunnelling Awards 2026 will be announced during the Awards ceremony, celebrating the projects, technologies and individuals that are shaping the future of underground space.<\/p>\n<p>Congratulations to all finalists, and thank you for your contribution to advancing the tunnelling and underground construction industry worldwide.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (ITA) is pleased to announce the finalists for the ITA Tunnelling Awards 2026, recognizing outstanding achievements in underground infrastructure, engineering excellence, innovation and emerging talent from around the world. This year\u2019s finalists represent 29 outstanding projects and individuals from 17 countries and regions, showcasing the diversity, technical excellence and innovation that continue to advance the tunnelling and underground space industry. The finalists have been selected across eight award categories: Major Projects Beijing East Sixth Ring Road Tunnel (China) GTX-A Metropolitan Express Railway Deep Tunnel between Unjeong\u2013Samsung Station (South Korea) Riyadh Metro Lines 1 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":20198,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[4248,5407,5408,68],"class_list":["post-20197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-10th-ita-tunnelling-awards","tag-award","tag-the-international-tunnelling-and-underground-space-association-ita","tag-tunnel","post--single"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>ITA Tunnelling Awards 2026: Finalists Announced<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"ITA 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