Presentation of the Observatory
The Tunnel Observatory’s mission is to gather various types of information on underground structures and the activities they generate, to present this information in the form of indicators, newsletters, maps or tables, and to share it both internally and with other professionals in the field.
Scope of the data collected:
The Observatory has historically focused on road tunnels, but is now expanding its studies to cover all underground infrastructure: railway tunnels, guided transport tunnels, canals, active transport modes, underground spaces, etc.
The data collected by the Observatory includes both general information (name, length, year of commissioning, tunnel owner, financing, operator, location, etc.) and technical information (excavation method, construction characteristics, structural elements, types of equipment, ventilation method, etc.).
We seek to cover all underground construction activity in order to provide a comprehensive overview, in both technical and economic terms. The idea is to provide indicators such as public procurement contracts (in number and monetary value), the annual activity of tunnel boring machines, and comparisons of French underground works activities with that of other countries.
The Observatory obtains this data both through its own activity (the main source of information); as well as via multiple monitoring systems in place to follow news about tunnels, the progress of works and the launch of new projects.
Productions and target audience:
This web section on the Tunnel Observatory presents a non-exhaustive set of data on French tunnels: statistics, interactive maps, atlases, etc. It is also possible to subscribe to our newsletter.
The Observatory plays an important role within the CETU and also aims to be attentive to the needs of the profession. Our ambition is to address the entire underground public works community: tunnel owners, operators, design offices, companies, associations, etc.
If there is any additional information that you feel would be useful to the profession, please don’t hesitate to contact us, so that we can further develop our research and publications.