DL E&C Wins Top Prize at World's Most Prestigious 'ITA Awards' for GTX-A Deep Underground Tunnel... First for Korea

World’s most prestigious awards
Construction technology for tunnel-shaped station recognized

The GTX-A metropolitan high-speed rail project, in which DL E&C participated as the lead contractor, was named Large Project of the Year by the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (ITA). The ITA Awards are the world’s most prestigious awards in the tunnelling and underground space sector, and this is the first time a Korean project has won the top prize in this category.

DL E&C announced on November 12 that the GTX-A project had won the gold award in the Large Project category at the ITA Awards 2026.

TBM equipment introduced at a GTX-A project construction site. Photo provided by DL E&C.

Every year, the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association evaluates tunnel and underground space projects and innovative technologies from around the world to select award winners. The Large Project category is open to projects with a budget of at least 500 million euros.

The construction technology used for the large tunnel-shaped station built about 60 meters underground at Seoul Station received high marks in this year’s evaluation. DL E&C created a concourse, platforms and transfer passages beneath Seoul Station, where five railway lines and bus routes converge. The underground space measures 5,300 square meters in area, more than 20 meters in height and 31 meters in width, making it the largest single underground space of its kind in Korea.

The Unjeong–Samsung section of GTX-A was built as a tunnel about 50 to 60 meters underground to minimize interference with existing urban infrastructure. Large-section tunnel structures were used at five major stations, including Seoul Station and Yeonsinnae Station. Tunnel boring machine (TBM) technology was used in sections passing through downtown Seoul and beneath the Han River.

As the lead contractor, DL E&C oversaw the overall management of six construction sections and the system works on the line running from Paju to the Gangnam area of Seoul.

Building on its experience with deep underground rail construction gained through the GTX-A project, DL E&C is also preparing for the Chungcheong Region Express Train (CTX) project. CTX is a regional transportation network project connecting Daejeon, Sejong and Chungcheongbuk-do, and it has passed the Korea Development Institute’s (KDI) assessment of its suitability for private investment.

A DL E&C spokesperson said, "We plan to build a competitive edge in the future regional transportation infrastructure market, drawing on the world-class deep underground rail technology, project management capabilities, and AI- and BIM-based design technology demonstrated through GTX-A."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.