TBM Xihe, a 7.3m-diameter, 100m-long, 1,000-tonne Herrenknecht slurry machine, has completed the up-track drive to the future Tung Chung West Station and has begun boring the down-track tunnel towards Tung Chung Station for MTR’s Tung Chung Line Extension in Hong Kong. The Bouygues Travaux Publics–Dragages Hong Kong JV turned the TBM underground within the launch shaft using a push-pull method and self-propelled modular transporter, avoiding full disassembly and surface transport. About 1.3km of new twin-bore tunnels are being driven close to existing rail and urban structures, with commissioning targeted for 2029.

A construction worker suffered multiple fractures and a dislocated shoulder after a newly built wall collapsed and knocked him through an unprotected stairwell opening, causing a 2.5–3 metre fall onto a concrete floor at Ace Infra’s NW Auctions Milnthorpe site on 25 April 2024. HSE found no edge protection, incomplete boarding over the stair void, no warning signage, no task-specific instructions and no site supervisor present at the time. Ace Infra Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was fined £60,000 plus £4,799.44 costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge.

UK construction output contracted every month of 2025, with the S&P Global UK Construction PMI at 40.1 in December, its second-lowest level since May 2020 and well below the neutral 50.0 threshold. Civil engineering was the weakest segment at 32.9, while housing (33.5) and commercial work (42.0) saw their fastest declines since May 2020 amid delayed post‑Budget investment decisions and fragile client confidence. Despite sharp falls in new orders, employment and input buying, 37% of firms expect higher output in 2026, citing planned utilities, water and energy infrastructure schemes and anticipated lower borrowing costs.