BTS Conference 2026
6–7 October 2026 | QEII Conference Centre, Westminster, London
Two days of presentations, case studies and panel discussions bringing together leading figures from across the tunnelling and underground infrastructure industry.
DAY 1 — TUESDAY 6 OCTOBER
SESSION 1
9.10am – 11.00am: Infrastructure Strategy, Asset Management and Investment
9.10am – 9.15am: Conference Chair Welcome
9.15am – 9.35am: Keynote 1 — MetroLink Dublin: Engineering the Future Beneath the Capital
David Hobson, Director of Engineering, MetroLink
9.35am – 9.55am: Keynote 2 — i3P and the UK Infrastructure Innovation Accelerator: Scaling Innovation Across UK Infrastructure
Joshua Thomas, Head of Built Environment and Urbanism Technical, i3P
9.55am – 10.15am: Keynote 3 — Breaking Ground: The Tunnelling Challenge of HS2
Alan Morris, Construction Delivery Director, HS2
10.15am – 11.00am: Q&A and Panel Discussion
Hosted by Bill Grose, Bill Grose Consulting
11.00am – 11.30am: MORNING COFFEE
SESSION 2
11.30am – 1.00pm: International Innovations in Tunnel Delivery
11.30am – 11.50am: New Approaches to Hyperbaric Diving, Protecting Marine Concrete Pouring and the Dismantling of a Subsea TBM on Trunk Road T2, Hong Kong
Patrick Lo, Technical Manager of Trunk Road T2 Tunnel, Bouygues Travaux Publics
11.50am – 12.10pm: Toulouse Metro — Decarbonised Concrete for Tunnel Linings: Innovations, Real-World Applications and Pathways to Large-Scale Adoption
Augustin Morando, Project Director, BESSAC
12.10pm – 12.30pm: Brenner Base Tunnel — Structural Integrity Monitoring Using Distributed Fiber Optics
Madeleine Winkler, ACI Monitoring, and Christoph M. Monsberger, Managing Director, ACI Monitoring
12.30pm – 12.50pm: North East Link Melbourne: Lessons from the Design and Construction of Large-Span SEM Tunnels
Charles Hunt, Principal, Delve Underground
12.50pm – 1.00pm: Q&A
1.00pm – 2.00pm: LUNCH
SESSION 3
2.00pm – 3.40pm: Lining Technology
2.00pm – 2.20pm: Experiences in the Use of EFC Geopolymer Concrete and the Potential for its Use in Tunnel Lining Segments
Charles Allen, Director, OTB Concrete, and Mark Culbert, Technical Lead, Murphy
2.20pm – 2.40pm: The Digital Nozzleman: Automated Shotcrete Application on Live Tunnel Projects
Rainer Antretter, Plant Department Lead, BEMO
2.40pm – 3.00pm: Elephant and Castle Capacity Upgrade: Design Stage Carbon Optimisation
Bethan Haig, Dr Sauer & Partners, seconded to Dragados as Design and Engineering Manager for the Elephant and Castle tunnel works and Steve Dawson, Associate Director, AECOM
3.00pm – 3.20pm: Prop-less Openings in Segmental Tunnel Linings: Design and Delivery on the Silvertown Tunnel Project
Neil Moss, Technical Director – Tunnels, and Yuan Le, Civil Structural Engineer, Gall Zeidler Consultants
3.20pm – 3.40pm: Q&A
3.40pm – 4.10pm: AFTERNOON COFFEE
SESSION 4
4.10pm – 5.00pm: Panel Discussion — The Future of SCL: Safer, Greener… or Simply More Conservative?
Hosted by Ross Dimmock, Whyte Rock Consulting, with Rosa Diez, European Tunnels Lead, Mott MacDonald, Keith Bowers, COWI, Project Director, LTC and Ala Hammad, Construction Manager, Strabag UK
5.00PM: Conference Day 1 Wrap-up
6.00pm: BTS October Evening Lecture – The future of the ‘Engineer’?
Presented by Chris Dulake, Independent Consultant
This Lecture examines how the engineering and construction industry has evolved over the past fifty years and questions whether the profession has unintentionally diminished the influence of engineers and designers in the delivery of major infrastructure and in the profession. The speaker argues that while The Engineer and engineering historically sat at the centre of infrastructure development in the UK, this position has been eroded in modern project delivery models. Has the prioritisation of process, governance, assurance, and commercial structures over technical leadership undermined the need to ‘Get it right’ first time through quality in design, engineering and construction?
The BTS evening meeting is followed by the BTS 2026 Conference and Exhibition Drinks Reception – Sponsored by LBA and OTBe
DAY 2 — WEDNESDAY 7 OCTOBER
SESSION 5
9.10am – 11.00am: Research, Standards and Infrastructure Futures
9.10am – 9.15am: Welcome from the Session Chair
9.15am – 9.45am: David Wallis Paper
Alastair Smith, BTS Chair
9.45am – 10.05am: Industry Competence and Competence Frameworks
Faye Burnett, Super Sector Programme Director, Mace, and Neil Hancox, Chairperson, TunnelSkills
10.05am – 10.25am: NBIF: Enabling Large-Scale Testing for Underground Infrastructure and Tunnelling
Dr Moura Mehravar, Deputy Director, NBIF; Associate Professor, University of Birmingham
10.25am – 10.45am: New CIRIA Guidance on Tunnel Asset Management
Leo McKibbins, Technical Director, Mott MacDonald
10.45am – 11.00am: Q&A
11.00am – 11.30am: MORNING COFFEE
SESSION 6
11.30am – 1.20pm: UK Focus
11.30am – 11.50am: Meeting the Logistical Challenge: Delivering the HS2 Euston Tunnel in a Busy Urban Environment
Janagan Nithiananthan, SCS JV Project Manager, Euston Tunnel
11.50am – 12.10am: Surrounded by Rail Lines and Utilities – Delivering HS2’s Sprayed Concrete Lined Tunnels in Old Oak Common
Filipe Mello, SCS JV Delivery Lead, Old Oak Common SCL Tunnel
12.10pm – 12.30pm: HS2 — Planning for Follow-on Activities During Tunnel Ring Design
George Issit, Head of Technical, Bouygues Construction, Align JV
12.30pm – 12.50pm: Hard Rock Tunnelling for Transport and Power in Scotland
Andy Sloan, Executive Vice President, COWI
12.50pm – 1.05pm: Lower Thames Crossing: Preparing the Way for Europe’s Largest TBM
Keith Bowers, Director, COWI; Project Director, LTC
1.05pm – 1.20pm: Q&A
1.20pm – 2.20pm: LUNCH
SESSION 7
2.20pm – 3.10pm: Microtunnelling and Trenchless Construction
2.20pm – 2.35pm: The New PJA Design Guide: Raising the Standard for Pipejacking Design
Sean Martin, Head of Tunnelling, Murphy
2.35pm – 3.00pm: Pushing the Boundaries of Pipejacking: Delivering Longer Drives and Larger Diameters in the UK and North America
Bryn Phillips, Ward and Burke
3.00pm – 3.10pm: Q&A
3.10pm – 3.15pm: Session Changeover
SESSION 8
3.15pm – 4.00pm: Panel Discussion: AI, Automation and the Future of Tunnelling
Artificial intelligence is already changing the way tunnels are designed, delivered and operated — but what comes next?
Leading experts from client, contractor and consultant organisations will explore real-world applications, future opportunities and the risks that cannot be ignored. From AI as today’s productivity tool to tomorrow’s autonomous project teams, this interactive panel will examine how the technology could reshape underground infrastructure.
Why attend?
- Hear from industry leaders already applying AI on major infrastructure projects.
- Discover where AI is delivering measurable value today — and where expectations may exceed reality.
- Understand how AI could transform design, construction, asset management and project delivery.
- Debate the impact on skills, jobs, risk, procurement and decision-making.
- Take away practical insights to help prepare your organisation for the next generation of tunnel delivery.
CHAIR
Christoph Eberle — Technical Excellence Lead Tunnels, Mott MacDonald
PANEL EXPERTS
- Dr Rich Laver — AI Lead, Senior Technical Manager, Maxwell GeoSystems
- Naomi Wheeler Reed — Associate Director of Digital Innovation and Sustainability, OTB Engineering
- John Nicholas — Head of Specialism, Tunnels, Safety, Engineering and Standards, National Highways
- Paco Lluna — Digital Engineering Lead, ENW/EWK, Sizewell C Project, Balfour Beatty
- Ashwin Rao – Account Technology Strategist at Microsoft