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During the early years of the 19th century, narrow‐gauge railways found their way into mines and tunnel projects. Due to economic reasons, these rail‐bound transport systems were successfully used for the transport of personnel, supplies and muck operations. While the worldwide transport logistics developed and changed continuously over the following century, there was limited demand within the tunnelling industry on innovation and improvement for these robust, durable and simple railways. Moreover, rubber‐tired transport systems were introduced to the market and replaced traditional rail equipment on many tunnelling projects. The MTS tunnel Drive 1, originally planned to be 13 km in length and now extended to 30 km, will become the longest single tunnel drive in the world, demonstrating the flexibility of a rail‐bound system. Since the start of the project, various suppliers and manufacturers for rail‐bound equipment and rail track systems have been involved in the development of innovative drive systems, under‐carriages and rail tracks. This article provides an overview of the design, implementation and lessons learned so far. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapidly increasing and urbanized world populations require the use of fertiliser for more efficient food production. Polyhalite provides this by sustainable and low carbon means. The world's largest known high‐grade Polyhalite deposit is located under the North York Moors National Park in the north‐east of England at a depth of about 1,550 m. In order to protect the national park, the mineral is processed outside the park on the coast near Wilton, Teesside. The mineral is transported there on a conveyor belt running in a 37 km long tunnel between the Woodsmith mine and the portal in Wilton. Strabag was awarded with the design and construction of the 37 km long tunnel, including the mineral transport system. The total contract value amounts to several hundred million Euros with a 100 % share for Strabag. The biggest challenges for this very long tunnel drive are especially the logistics. High safety standards and a tight time schedule, funding issues and contractual changes have resulted in additional challenges. Close cooperation with the Client's team on site has been key for achieving best results for the project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]