Failures in mass rapid transit underground constructions in Asia-Pacific region

As more and more mass rapid transit (MRT) systems are constructed in urban areas with unfavourable ground conditions, failures have frequently occurred for various reasons, and risk management becomes a key issue. A knowledge base has been established for compiling the case histories associated with mass rapid transit constructions in the Asia-Pacific region in an attempt to develop means for engineers to identify, assess and prioritise potential risks. Failures are classified based on their consequence; the disastrous events which occurred in the Asia-Pacific region in the 10-year period between 2000 and 2009 are discussed in this paper.