Spotlight: Giants underground (January 2003)
HOCHTIEF sets new standards in tunneling
Every tunnel has its own specific character. In that respect, nothing has changed since tunneling
first began. For engineers and technical specialists, these somehow mysterious and always fascinating
structures deep underground or through mountains always represent a challenge. Despite all the
technological progress, a tunnel always means moving forward into the dark and unknown. For over 100 years now, HOCHTIEF has been setting standards in the world of tunnels.
The company has been involved in a considerable number of important tunnels all over the globe. What began in 1896 with the building of a canal in old-town Frankfurt led gradually to high-tech tunnels that have written construction history. Among the examples are the fourth tube of the Elbe Tunnel in Hamburg, the Europipe under the mudflats of East Friesia, the Metro Tunnel in Lyon, France, and the Mohale Tunnel in South Africa, part of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, one of the biggest and most complex construction ventures anywhere in the world.
And HOCHTIEF is still creating connections. Thanks to its international expertise and inter-unit
cooperation within the HOCHTIEF Group, it is helping to bring people closer together: with the Channel
Tunnel Rail Link under the Thames in London, with the Gotthard Tunnel in Switzerland, which will be the
world’s longest rail tunnel, the Sophia Tunnel in Rotterdam and the Herren Tunnel in Lübeck.
