Increasing urbanization and the close connection between countries, business, technology and people mean demand for underground infrastructure is growing like never before. In order to keep up with the pace below ground, the construction of efficient tunnel infrastructures will also need to be faster and more efficient in the future. An advanced solution: continuous mechanized tunnelling in soft, heterogeneous ground conditions. In particular when excavating longer tunnels more than five kilometers in length, it pays off if excavation and ring building are largely continuous and synchronous during the construction period. Herrenknecht is presenting to international trade visitors a new concept machine for soft and mixed ground conditions, which on the basis of a continuous tunnelling process, can excavate and build longer tunnels on average up to 1.6 times faster. This allows significant savings in construction time compared to tunnel boring machines that do not work continuously. During bauma 2019, Herrenknecht engineers will exchange views with clients, planners and contractors on the advantages and possibilities for implementation of this highly advanced tunnelling technology

Leading tunnelling technology is not the only decisive factor for successful tunnelling projects, but also excellent operational service support in all project phases. To prevent downtimes on the jobsite and enable optimal advance rates, Herrenknecht supports project partners worldwide with effective expertise and a comprehensive range of services. In the future, web-based digital service solutions will also play an important role for smooth tunnel missions. As part of a digital service platform, Herrenknecht is therefore currently developing an e-maintenance tool and an e-shop for spare and wear parts. At bauma, Herrenknecht shows how all TBM maintenance processes without exception can be viewed at a glance and presents an electronic parts catalog where customers can easily access and order spare parts around the clock.

State-of-the-art tunnelling technology proves its worth today in a wide range of degrees of difficulty and underground missions, with safety for people, the environment, budgets and above-ground topology always being the highest priority during construction work. During bauma, Herrenknecht will be demonstrating over 400 functions and features of tunnelling machines and specific applications in a large overall visual concept that illustrates the enormous complexity of technically supported safety standards in a wide variety of application fields and situations. With clients and contractors constantly moving into new terrain underground, Herrenknecht also provides concept insights for the latest features and functions in particularly challenging tunnel missions.

The mega metro project "Grand Paris Express" is not only a lighthouse project for mechanized tunnelling but also Europe's largest urban construction project. In expert circles, it is considered as a groundbreaking and visionary underground infrastructure project with pioneering urban significance. Herrenknecht presents this highlight and its challenges in a unique thematic area at bauma. As part of the metro expansion program, more than 68 new metro stations and four fully automated metro lines will open up new perspectives for the growing hinterland around the French capital. "In order to complete the metro tunnels safely and within the set deadline, we have chosen to use mechanized tunnelling technology," explains Thierry Dallard, Chairman of Management Board, of Société du Grand Paris. To date, 12 contractors have ordered 19 project-specific tunnel boring machines and a Vertical Shaft Sinking Machine (VSM) from Herrenknecht to build more than 70 kilometers of new, efficient metro tunnels in the Paris underground in the first phase of construction. Altogether, this mega-project and its more than 200 kilometers of new metro lines will connect the inhabitants of Paris and Greater Paris much faster and more comfortably and give the megacity of Paris and its development new momentum. At bauma, Herrenknecht's visitors and guests can impressively experience various aspects of the implementation of this gigantic underground mission.