The tunnel boring machine market in Europe is expected to grow from US$ 1,592.71 million in 2019 to US$ 2,370.81 million by 2027; it is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 5.5% from 2020 to 2027.
The road infrastructure and construction industry in Europe is growing at an impressive pace due to rising population and urbanization levels, especially in the developed and developing countries. Rising government expenditure on infrastructure and swiftly growing road network expansions across all the countries are driving the Europe tunnel boring machine market. Factors such as increase in spending on new transport infrastructure in various potential countries, upgrade of existing infrastructure, development of smart cities, and rise in trend of tunnel automation are fueling the demand for tunnel boring machines across Europe. Several governments of major countries are involved in designing tunnels for smooth road transport and reduced travel times. Also, microtunneling projects coming to focus is among the other factors expected to bolster the demand for tunnel boring machines during the forecast period.
In terms of geology, the soft ground segment led the Europe tunnel boring machine market in 2019. The soft ground includes sand, clay, silt, and gravel. In this geology, tunnel needs specific methods compared to hard rock to compensate for the shifting nature of the soil. The soft ground protects existing structures and utilities since several soft ground-based tunnels are located in urban environments where settlement caused by tunneling is the main concern. Protective measures such as ground improvement, dewatering, and compensation grouting are used to ensure successful tunneling in soft ground. Slurry shield (SS) and earth pressure balance machines are suitable for this geology. Earth pressure balance machine is used with less than 7 bar of pressure in soft ground. Besides, slurry shield tunnel boring machine is used for high water pressure and huge amounts of groundwater. Thus, the growing deployment of the machine in the soft ground area would propel the market growth in the near future.
In Europe, several countries suffered an economic hit due to a lack of revenue from various industries. Many of these member states implemented drastic measures and travel restrictions, including partially closing their borders. As a result, the Europe tunnel boring machine market witnessed a decline in its growth in 2020. The impact of COVID-19 outbreak varied from country to country across the region as selected countries witnessed a surge in the number of confirmed cases and subsequently attracted stringent and more extended lockdown periods of social isolation resulting in disruption of business. European countries represent a significant market for tunnel boring machine adoption and growth due to rising investment by the government in railway and road infrastructure, and tunnel automation initiatives in various countries. The lockdown has hindered the tunnel infrastructure development and tunnel up-gradation activities in European countries, which hampered the growth of the tunnel boring machine market in this region. In addition, disruptions in raw materials and component supply from China aggravated the problems faced by tunnel boring machine manufacturers in this region. All these factors have a direct impact on the market growth in European countries. The market in Russia, the UK, Italy, Spain, and France witnessed adverse impact of pandemic in 2020, and it is likely to continue till Mid-2021 also.
The overall Europe tunnel boring machine market size has been derived using both primary and secondary sources. To begin the research process, exhaustive secondary research has been conducted using internal and external sources to obtain qualitative and quantitative information related to the market. The process also serves the purpose of obtaining an overview and forecast for the Europe tunnel boring machine market with respect to all the segments pertaining to the region. Also, multiple primary interviews have been conducted with industry participants and commentators to validate the data, as well as to gain more analytical insights into the topic. The participants of this process include industry experts such as VPs, business development managers, market intelligence managers, and national sales managers, along with external consultants such as valuation experts, research analysts, and key opinion leaders, specializing in the Europe tunnel boring machine market. CREG TBM Germany GmbH; Dalian Huarui Heavy Industry Group Co., Ltd.; Herrenknecht AG; Hitachi Zosen corporation; IHI Corporation; Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.; Komatsu Ltd.; TERRATEC Ltd.; and The Robbins Company are among the players operating in the market.