Planning and procuring the Shatin–Central cross-harbour rail tunnel, Hong Kong Available to Purchase

The cross-harbour section of the new Shatin–Central mass transit link railway will be the fourth cross-harbour tunnel in Hong Kong when completed in 2021. The 1·4 km long immersed-tube tunnel and approaches are being procured through a design-and-build contract with early contractor involvement. The reference design for the immersed tunnel elements specified prestressed monolithic structures following practice used on previous harbour crossings. Optimising the design and performance specifications during tender stage ensured the submitted tenders were constructable, using the most cost-effective design but minimising construction and operating risks. This paper discusses the reference design, construction planning and early contractor involvement procurement process.