Final two TBMs ready to tunnel for Sydney Metro West
Construction of Sydney’s second under-harbour railway crossing is close to starting with the final tunnel boring machines (TBMs) arriving on site. The oversized cargo units have been delivered by AAL Shipping’s heavy-lift multipurpose vessel at White Bay Port.
The cargo arrived in 32 pieces, 16 pieces for each TBM. According to Sydney Metro West, the units are now inside the 34-metre-deep station box at The Bays being assembled ahead of their launch later this year.
The TBMs will be used to carve out the 2.3-kilometre win tunnels from The Bays, under Sydney Harbour, to Hunter Street in the Sydney CBD as part of the Sydney Metro West – Eastern Tunnelling Package (ETP). These are the last of six TBMs being used for tunnelling on the 24-kilometre Sydney Metro West line.
Both 1,100 tonne machines will journey parallel to the iconic Anzac Bridge, heading to the new Pyrmont Station site, and then under Darling Harbour before reaching the Hunter Street Station site in the heart of the CBD.
These mixed shield (slurry) TBMs are specifically designed to excavate through sandstone and under the harbour. This will be the second under-harbour crossing undertaken by Sydney Metro using this technology following the successful crossing between Blues Point and Barangaroo as part of the City & Southwest project.
Once launched, the TBMs will tunnel at an average rate of 90 metres per week and will arrive at the Hunter Street Station site in mid-2025. Sydney Metro West is expected to be complete by 2032.
