The use of precast steel fibre reinforced concrete (SFRC) for tunnel segments is a relatively new application of this material. It was first applied in Italy in the 1980s. However, it did not begin to be widely applied until after 2000. The Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU), together with Metrostav, carried out a study to evaluate the use of this new technology for tunnels in the Czech Republic. The first tests were carried out on small samples (beams and cubes) produced from SFRC to find an appropriate type and an appropriate dosage of fibres. The tests were also used to verify other factors affecting the final product (e.g. production technology). Afterwards, SFRC segments were produced and then tested at the Klokner Institute of CTU. Successful test results confirmed that it was possible to use SFRC segments for Czech transport tunnels. Consequently a 15 m-long section of segmental lining generated from SFRC without steel rebars was constructed as part of line A of the Prague metro.

The front-shunt tunnel was the first tunnel of the Terminal 5 project at Heathrow to be constructed, and was the first section of sprayed-concrete-lined (SCL) tunnel to be constructed using the method known as LaserShell. This innovation represented a significant deviation from the methods previously used in SCL construction. Therefore it was subjected to a careful examination before and during construction using sophisticated 3D numerical modelling and monitoring during construction. The paper presents typical results from surface settlement levelling, inclinometers and extensometers, pressure cells and tunnel lining displacement measurements, and comments on the performance of the methods and instruments used. The paper then presents the methodology and typical results of the numerical modelling, and shows that the predictions of displacements and stresses compared well with the field measurements. In terms of the control of ground deformations and structural safety the tunnel performed well.

The selection of input parameters for the numerical modelling of geotechnical structures is problematic due to their variability and uncertainty. Generally, parametric studies are required to evaluate the impact of input parameters on the modelling results. The utilisation of various statistical methods can bring significant benefits, such as probabilistic distributions of the modelling outputs and the probability of failure. This paper presents a variance reduction method known as ‘Latin hypercube sampling'. Special attention is paid to the Latin hypercube sampling mean, which represents a more efficient sampling scheme within the method's framework. The performance of the mean method is evaluated by comparison with the standard median method, and the necessary number of simulations is recommended. To take the statistical dependency of input variables into consideration the method mean is combined with the simulated annealing method. The effectiveness of Latin hypercube sampling methods and their practical application is demonstrated by static calculations for the Brusnice tunnel in the Czech Republic. The tunnel is a part of the Blanka tunnel complex on the Prague City Circle Road excavated by the new Austrian tunnelling method. The two-dimensional numerical model was prepared using the finite-element method. The modelling results were evaluated in terms of confidence intervals.

The following paper is divided into three parts. The first part recounts the history of tunnelling in the Czech Republic (CR). There is mention of the extensive underground spaces below several historic towns, the unique Rudolf's gallery constructed in 1582 to 1593 on the direct order of Hapsburg Emperor Rudolf II, and the first sewerage system in Prague with a sewage treatment plant completed in 1907, designed by the English engineer W.H. Lindley. More than 16 railway tunnels older than 150 years are still in operation in the CR, the oldest being the three Nelahozeves Tunnels from 1848 (two older tunnels, Tr̆ebovický and Slavíc̆, were closed). The second part of the paper is devoted to tunnelling technologies used in the CR. Major technologies are mentioned – e.g. the ring method connected with Prague metro construction and the NATM – the prevailing tunnelling method in the CR since the 1990s. The last part of the paper presents some important non‐transport underground structures in the CR (i.e. structures for water, power and utility purposes). Dieser Artikel ist in drei Abschnitte unterteilt. Der erste Teil geht auf die Geschichte des Tunnelbaus in der Tschechischen Republik ein. Zunächst werden die weiten unterirdischen Systeme beschrieben, die es unterhalb vieler historischer Städte gibt, so die einzigartigen Stollen Rudolfs, erbaut von 1582 bis 1593 auf direkten Befehl des Habsburger Kaiser Rudolf II, und das erste Kanalisationsnetz der Republik in Prag mit einer Abwasserbehandlungsanlage, entworfen vom englischen Ingenieur W.H. Lindley und fertiggestellt 1907. In der Tschechischen Republik sind noch immer mehr als 16 Eisenbahntunnel älter als 150 Jahre in Betrieb, die ältesten sind die drei Nelahozeves Tunnel von 1848 (zwei ältere Tunnel, Tr̆ebovický und Slavíc, wurden bereits stillgelegt). Der zweite Teil des Artikels widmet sich den Tunnelbaumethoden, die in der Tschechischen Republik eingesetzt wurden. Wichtige Bauweisen werden erwähnt, z.B. die Ringmethode, die verbunden wird mit der Konstruktion der Prager Metro, und die Neue Österreichische Tunnelbauweise, die am weitesten verbreitete Tunnelbauweise in der Tschechischen Republik seit den 1990er‐Jahren. Der letzte Teil des Artikels präsentiert einige wichtige unterirdische Konstruktionen der Tschechischen Republik unabhängig vom Transportwesen (Wasser‐, Elektrizitäts‐ und Versorgungswesen).