Webuild is a leader in the tunnelling sector, having carried out iconic projects around the world: metro networks (from New York to Melbourne, by way of Paris, Copenhagen, Rome and Milan), railways (such as the High Speed railways in Italy and Europe), hydraulic tunnels (including Lake Mead tunnel in Las Vegas and Riachuelo tunnel in Buenos Aires), and hydroelectric plants and projects (such as Kárahnjúkar Dam in Iceland or the Snowy 2.0 project in Australia).

Over its lifetime, the Group has worked with more than 200 Tunnel Boring Machines, running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, meaning that over the last 50 years, it has managed to excavate 1,500 kilometres of tunnels. Webuild currently owns and operates approximately 60 TBMs worldwide, more than half of which are in Italy: a record for the Group that sets it a cut above any other player on the world stage.

Tunnel Boring Machines - also commonly referred to as ‘moles’ or ‘cutters’ - are complex machines of enormous sizes (with some of the largest reaching up to 180 metres long, with a diameter of 19 metres). The most impressive TBM in Webuild’s fleet, spanning a vast 15.5 metres in diameter, is currently tasked with excavating the North East Link highway in Melbourne, Australia. However, the most sizeable Tunnel Boring Machine in Europe is the one set to excavate the tunnels for the Salerno-Reggio Calabria High-Speed Railway Line (Battipaglia-Romagnano Lot) , with a diameter of 13.46m.

Each mechanical cutter requires a team of around 80 people to operate it, including 60 miners - experts in working underground - and around 20 ultra-specialised technicians and assorted staff members, who shuttle between the site and the operations centre outside the tunnel during works. The machine never stops, continuing to work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, which allows it to be as efficient and economical as possible whilst powering ahead at a speed of up to 30 metres a day.