. The contract is worth 139.3 million euro

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. has awarded the contract to build the first section of the underground rail connection between New Delhi and the airport to a consortium headed by Alpine, FCC's Austrian subsidiary. The contract is worth 139.3 million euro.

New Delhi's Mass Rapid Transit System will be extended in two phases. The first phase involves building 3.7 kilometres of line and two stations: New Delhi Station and Shivaji Station.

The second phase involves building the Airport Link, a line connecting central New Delhi with Indira Gandhi International Airport. The Airport Link will measure approximately 19 kilometres.

Two tunnel-boring machines (TBM), with a diameter of over 6 metres, will be used to build twin tunnels each 2,192 metres long.

Construction will begin in this year and is scheduled to finish in 2010.

This contract strengthen Alpine's presence in India. It is the second contract that FCC's Austrian subsidiary has obtained in that country. It is currently involved in a major project in the southern Himalaya region: at the Tapovan-Vishnugad hydroelectric plant, it is building an 11.3-kilometre headrace tunnel, under a contract worth 79 million euro.

Alpine has a successful track record in building railway tunnels. It is currently expanding the underground rail systems in Singapore and Athens.

The Alpine Group operates worldwide. With annual revenues of approximately 2.300 million euro and a total staff of 12,750, Alpine is Austria's second-largest construction company. The FCC group acquired 80% of Alpine in 2006.