Market Overview
The global tunnel boring machine market size reached USD 6.0 Billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 8.1 Billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 3.48% during the forecast period of 2025-2033. Growth is driven by the increasing demand for underground infrastructure in urban areas, alongside significant investments in transportation and advancements in tunneling technology. Slurry TBM leads among machine types, while Asia-Pacific remains the dominant region with large-scale metro and infrastructure projects in countries like China, India, and Indonesia.
Study Assumption Years
- Base Year: 2024
- Historical Year/Period: 2019-2024
- Forecast Year/Period: 2025-2033
Tunnel Boring Machine Market Key Takeaways
- The global tunnel boring machine market size was USD 6.0 Billion in 2024.
- The market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 3.48% during 2025-2033.
- The forecast period spans from 2025 to 2033.
- Major growth drivers include increasing use of TBMs in mining and infrastructural projects such as water pipeline, hydropower, oil and gas pipelines.
- Technological convergence and increasing tunnel automation enhance excavation efficiency and safety.
- Asia-Pacific dominates the market, fueled by infrastructure expansions in India, China, Indonesia, and Southeast Asia.
- Challenges include high upfront costs and technical complexities in varied geological conditions.
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Market Growth Factors
The rising use of tunnel boring machines (TBMs) in the mining industry is a major factor driving the market, thanks to advancements in rock-cutting technology. Moreover, the demand for drilling equipment across various sectors is boosting the growth of TBMs. Governments around the globe are pouring significant investments into infrastructure projects, particularly in areas like water pipelines, hydropower, and oil and gas pipelines. This surge in investment is ramping up the need for TBMs that can operate continuously, minimize rock damage, and enhance safety for workers.
Technological progress, such as the integration of TBMs with tunnel automation systems, is making excavation processes smoother and improving safety outcomes. Current trends are leaning towards the development of TBMs that boast high specific gravity, viscosity, and stability under high pressure, which is further propelling market growth. Tunnel automation is also playing a crucial role in optimizing project timelines and ensuring worker safety.
On a global scale, significant transportation infrastructure projects are another driving force, with governments heavily investing in the expansion of highways, roads, and metro systems. For instance, India has ambitious plans for a national highway network stretching 200,000 km by 2025, with an investment of Rs 17 trillion. Large-scale initiatives like the US Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion, costing around US$ 3.8 billion, are also boosting the demand for TBMs. These infrastructure advancements are leading to a wider range of products designed to meet various geological and environmental challenges, thereby broadening the market’s potential.
Market Segmentation
Machine Type:
- Slurry TBM: Dominates due to efficiency in soft ground conditions like clay, sand, and gravel. Uses bentonite or polymer-based slurry to stabilize tunnel face and transport excavated material, facilitating continuous operation and reducing groundwater inflow. Common in subway, sewer, and underwater tunnels needing extra stabilization.
- Earth Pressure Balance Shield TBM (mentioned but no detailed description or data provided, thus skipped)
- Shielded TBM (mentioned but no detailed description or data provided, thus skipped)
- Multi-Mode TBM (mentioned but no detailed description or data provided, thus skipped)
Product Type:
- Soft Ground TBM (listed but no direct data or description, skipped)
- Hard Ground TBM: Accounts for the majority of global market share. Designed for dense, rocky ground like granite and basalt, using robust cutterheads with disc or roller cutters reinforced with tungsten carbide for efficient and cost-effective rock excavation. Widely used for transportation tunnels and underground infrastructure.
Application:
- Traffic Tunneling: Exhibits clear dominance. Specialized for subterranean traffic passages, reducing surface disruption and traffic congestion during construction. Used in urban road tunnels, bypasses, and underground highways, enhancing urban mobility.
- Utility Tunneling (mentioned but no detailed data or description, skipped)
End User:
- Metro and Transit: Holds the largest market share. Essential for constructing subways and transit tunnels, minimizing surface disruption. Growth spurred by metro expansion projects globally, e.g., Ahmedabad’s metro rail expansion and sustainable urban development via underground construction.
- Road Transport (mentioned, no detailed data, skipped)
- Railway Transport (mentioned, no detailed data, skipped)
- Utilities (mentioned, no detailed data, skipped)
- Mining (mentioned, no detailed data, skipped)
- Oil and Gas (mentioned, no detailed data, skipped)
- Others (mentioned, no detailed data, skipped)
Regional Insights
Asia-Pacific currently dominates the global tunnel boring machine market, supported by major infrastructure projects in India, China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The region benefits from rising metro expansions, including India’s underwater metro tunnels and Vietnam’s metro rail line plans, fostering sustained market growth. Asia-Pacific’s infrastructure boom and government initiatives significantly propel market demand.
Recent Developments & News
- June 2025: HS2’s TBM “Emily” completed a 3.4-mile drive in West London’s Northolt Tunnel, removing 775,000 tonnes of clay and installing 17,514 segments.
- April 2025: Larsen & Toubro achieved 10.4 km tunneling using TBM Shakti for India’s Rishikesh–Karnaprayag rail line, progressing at 413 metres monthly.
- March 2025: Herrenknecht-built largest TBM for Mumbai’s Thane-Borivali tunnel cleared factory tests and arrived in Mumbai.
- February 2025: A 1,200-tonne TBM started work on VERBUND’s Kaprun-Hauptstufe power plant pressure tunnel in Austria with a new cutterhead.
- January 2024: Chennai Metro Rail launched TBM “Eagle” for tunnel between Light House and Boat Club stations.
- February 2024: HS2 launched TBM “Emily” for London-Birmingham railway tunnel.
- July 2023: Chenab Valley Power Projects Limited launched TBM for Head Race Tunnel-1 construction.
Key Players
- Akkerman Inc.
- China Railway Construction Heavy Industry Corporation Limited
- China Railway Engineering Equipment Group Co. Ltd. (China Railway Hi-Tech Industry Corporation Limited)
- Dalian Huarui Heavy Industry Group Co. Ltd.
- Herrenknecht AG
- Hitachi Zosen Corporation
- IHI Corporation
- Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd.
- Komatsu Ltd.
- Northern Heavy Industries Group Co. Ltd.
- Sika AG
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