British Tunnelling Society chair: planning and risk lessons for UK tunnel engineers
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan

First reported on New Civil Engineer
30 Second Briefing
British Tunnelling Society chair and Jacobs tunnels director for Europe Alastair Smith calls for earlier geotechnical investigation and constructability input in UK tunnel planning to cut redesign and delay on major schemes. Drawing on five decades of work on large-bore metro, water and road tunnels worldwide, he points to fragmented client governance and late contractor involvement as key causes of cost escalation. Smith urges standardised design frameworks and clearer risk allocation for ground conditions to speed delivery of long linear assets.
Technical Brief
- With a career spanning five decades and involvement in projects around the world, Smith has a depth of knowledge on tunnelling practices and insight into the industry.
Our Take
Jacobs appears frequently in our wider ‘Projects’ tag set as a Tier 1 designer–programme manager, so any planning or delivery changes advocated here are likely to influence how major UK infrastructure frameworks are scoped and risk-allocated rather than just individual tunnel jobs.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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