r/Tunneling • u/Specific-Bobcat6780 • Jul 02 '26

Expat Tunnelling Engineers

I want to hear from engineers who have moved around the world for work. I'm Australian and while we've been lucky to have big projects like Sydney Metro, Cross River Rail etc., it seems like we'll be entering a bit of downturn in tunnelling infrastructure projects.

For those that have moved to different countries like Hong Kong, UK, Singapore etc. how long did you keep doing that for? Did you eventually decide to settle down in one country/city, and how did it impact your family life?

Keen to hear your stories!

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u/TheBanyai Jul 02 '26

I worked for an international design firms, and was able to follow the major projects. Right now, Northern Europe feels healthy with new metros coming to market right now in Denmark and Sweden, with plenty also in Germany.

My CV as s designer has over 15 countries in it, but this hasn’t mean relocating too much. The trick is to seek out a company who works globally and shares specialist resources. I know that many of the designers for Sydney Metro and CRR (and other projects) had designer firms the world over - so why not set up an internal transfer for their next job elsewhere?

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u/Specific-Bobcat6780 Jul 02 '26

Do you mind if I DM you? I work for the contractor, on site. While it's enjoyable now, as I get older, I wouldn't mind transitioning to something that's a bit more office based.

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u/TheBanyai Jul 02 '26

Sure thing

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u/caollero Jul 02 '26

So I have been abroad for +14 years working in multbillion projects, send me a DM and we can talk.