Performance analysis of utility tunneling data: A case study of pipe jacking in hard rock in Brittany, France

•First comprehensive analysis of pipe jacking data in very strong metamorphic rocks.•Case study of a 530 m long tunnel with a 2.2 m diameter Slurry TBM in France.•Focus of project was not maximum advance speed, but a safe tunneling procedure.•Average advance rate of 17.3 mm/min; specific skin friction well below 2 kN/m2.•Penetration prediction of pipe jacking projects is difficult with common models.