Singapore replaces bankrupt contractor
01 Oct 2013
Peter Kenyon, TunnelTalk
- New contractors are appointed in Singapore to complete the four Singapore Downtown Line tunnels and three stations left unfinished following the bankruptcy of Alpine Bau.
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SK Engineering to complete Tan Kah Kee Station
- SK Engineering of Korea is selected to complete contract C918 that was for construction of Tan Kah Kee Station, two twin-running tunnels of 940m, and a cut-and-cover tunnel in the 2.2km section between Botanic Gardens and Sixth Avenue Stations. According to SK it won the bid ahead of five other rival contractors, for a price of S$222 million (US$177 million).
- The contract was the last of the tunnels and stations to be let on the 16.6km DTL2 extension project between Bugis and Bukit Panjang. It was initially awarded in 2009 to Alpine for a price of S$350 million. According to project owner, the Singapore Land Transport Authority (LTA), Alpine completed only 50% of the station works and two of the six associated tunnels.
- Contract C917 for the design and construction of the Sixth Avenue and King Albert Park stations and two further twin running tunnels of 4.8km was also originally let to Alpine in 2009, at a contract price of S$320 million. Completion of unfinished construction works is awarded to McConnell Dowell South East Asia for S$254 million.
- "LTA's immediate priority is to start work as soon as possible now that the new contractors are on board," said Chua Chong Kheng, Deputy Chief Executive of Singapore LTA. We will continue to explore areas where we can expedite works to speed up the construction without compromising on the safety."
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Downtown Line alignment
- "The work that is left behind is about 50 per cent related to station work, and there are four tunnels to be built," said Sim Wee Meng, LTA Senior Group Director for Rail. Nobody has yet been able to tell TunnelTalk whether the newly engaged contractors will be making use of the five Herrenknecht TBMs that were originally procured by Alpine in 2010 for completion of the outstanding tunneling works.
- According to the LTA contractors were chosen primarily on the basis of their ability to mobilise quickly to complete projects and make up time for the four months already lost. SK Engineering already holds a number of tunnel contracts in Singapore including one for DTL2 and another for DTL3, as well as two contracts on the north-south, and east-west cross island high voltage electricity transmission cable tunnel. McConnell Dowell has completed construction of the Beauty World Station and two TBM bored tunnels of 1,100m on another stretch of Singapore's DTL2, working closely with SK Engineering which was contracted to excavate an adjoining section of cut-and-cover tunnel.
- The LTA was obliged to find new contractors to complete the works on DTL2 after Alpine Bau went bankrupt in June this year (2013).
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Insolvency disrupts Singapore Downtown Line - TunnelTalk, July 2013
Austrian tunnel contractor files for bankruptcy - TunnelTalk, June 2013
Austrian tunnel group emerges from crisis - TunnelTalk, March 2013
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