Post by SMEC (an SJ Group company)

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀? That question sat at the centre of many discussions at ITA World Tunnel Congress 2026 (WTC2026) in Montreal, Canada. As underground infrastructure plays an increasing role in connecting cities, supporting energy transition and unlocking constrained urban environments, the focus is shifting from what is possible to how projects can be delivered with greater certainty in complex conditions. Following the conference, we asked Alexandre (Alex) Gomes, Chief Technical Principal – Tunnels and Underground and Tanya Strate, Senior Associate - Engineering Geologist to reflect on key insights emerging from discussion with global leaders and practitioners. 1️⃣ 𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 The industry is moving beyond standalone tools and materials towards more connected approaches that integrate together data, design, construction, collaborative contracting, sustainability and full life-cycle considerations. 2️⃣ 𝙋𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙣𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙞𝙚𝙨 AI, digital tools and low-carbon materials continue to gain momentum, with increasing emphasis on embedding these solutions into delivery and measuring impact through real project outcomes. 3️⃣ 𝙎𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙜𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙡𝙚𝙙𝙜𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 As complexity increases, targeted ground investigation and stronger exchange of lessons learned are becoming essential to, improving certainty, reducing risk and supporting better decision-making below ground. 4️⃣ 𝘽𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙤𝙧 The industry is placing greater focus on broadening representation, supporting underrepresented groups and creating a culture where more people can see a future in tunnelling and underground infrastructure. Together, these themes reinforce the importance of technical excellence, collaboration and adaptive delivery in shaping the next phase of underground infrastructure. #EngineeringPositiveChange #Geotechnics #Tunnels #WTC2026