Kawasaki Received Order for Shield Machine for Korea's Incheon Airport Railway Corp.

 Tokyo, October 18, 2005 – Kawasaki Heavy Industires, Ltd. announced today that it has received an order for a shield machine to be used in subway construction work in Korea from Dong-A Geological Engineering Co., Ltd. The client had previously ordered a shield machine for Subway Line 9 in Seoul. The second machine is to be delivered in June 2006.

 Combining shield tunneling technology for soft ground with tunnel boring machine (TBM) technology for hard rock and gravel layers, the 7.93 m diameter shield machine can excavate various compositions of soil and rock. It will be used to excavate a 1.9 km leg of a 61.5 km long railway project being undertaken by the Incheon International Airport High-speed Railway Corporation. The section, which will include Magok Station in Seoul, is scheduled for completion in November 2008.

 Kawasaki boasts an impressive track record, having delivered more than 1,300 shield machines and TBMs, including five units to Korea. This latest order follows orders in December 2003 and October 2004 for eight shield machines for the Singaporean subway, reinforcing Kawasaki's reputation for technological superiority in this field.