Tunnelling Awards Honor South Korea's GTX-A Project
The 12th ITA Tunnelling Awards announced 2026 gold winners in Lisbon, with South Korea's GTX-A deep railway tunnel receiving the Major Project of the Year gold award.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Travel — General
The International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association announced the 2026 ITA Tunnelling Awards in Lisbon on November 4, drawing 81 submissions from 27 countries. South Korea's GTX-A Metropolitan Express Railway Deep Tunnel Project received the Major Project of the Year gold award.
Why it matters
The awards recognize tunnelling and underground infrastructure projects across transport, water, rehabilitation, and construction technology categories. Recognition of large-scale projects from multiple continents highlights the growing role of underground space in urban development worldwide.
The awards drew 81 submissions from 27 countries in the program's 12th edition, with project value thresholds ranging from under EUR 100 million to above EUR 500 million. The source does not detail the judging criteria weighting or the number of finalists in each category.
The players
International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
The International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association is the global body that organizes the ITA Tunnelling Awards and promotes underground construction and engineering practice.
GTX-A Metropolitan Express Railway Deep Tunnel Project
The GTX-A project is a deep railway tunnel in South Korea's Seoul metropolitan area, part of a major expansion of the region's rail network.
The details
The awards were presented at a ceremony at SUD Lisboa Hall, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the Portuguese Tunnelling and Underground Space Commission. Winners were evaluated across transport, water infrastructure, tunnel rehabilitation, construction technology, and underground space development. China's Beijing East Sixth Ring Road Tunnel took the Major Project silver, and the UK's HS2 Chiltern Tunnels took bronze.
Timeline
November 4, 2026: Winners announced at the awards ceremony in Lisbon.
November 4-6, 2026: Three-day Lisbon gathering includes the awards and conferences.
2027: Poland will host the next ITA Tunnelling Awards.
Travel Outlook
The ITA Tunnelling Awards, now in their 12th edition, continue an annual cycle of recognizing major underground projects across more than two dozen countries. Poland's selection as 2027 host extends that cycle into Eastern Europe, where several large rail and infrastructure programs are underway.
For travelers interested in engineering landmarks, the GTX-A tunnel in South Korea and the Hong Kong Sha Tin caverns are among the award-winning sites referenced in the announcement. The source does not indicate whether any of these projects are open for public tours.
The takeaway
Award-winning underground projects span transport, water, and rehabilitation, showing how tunnelling increasingly supports everyday infrastructure. Watch for the 2027 awards in Poland to see which new projects gain recognition next.
What happens next
Poland will host the 2027 ITA Tunnelling Awards, and the programme continues with the CPT 20th Anniversary Conference and technical visits following the Lisbon ceremony.
Further reading
Explore more international travel news in our Travel — General section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Tunnelbuilder.
