At just 32cm in diameter, a remote-controlled TBM is now drilling under the streets of Clayton as part of construction of Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) East, between Cheltenham and Box Hill.  

The sewer relocation works on Dunstan Street, Clayton kicked off a massive program of initial and early works. Crews are using technology specially designed to minimise community disruption.  

In the next 6 months the TBM will dig a small tunnel (630 m) for the new sewer at a depth of around 5 m underground and at the cracking pace of 3.75m/h.  

The machine is not only less disruptive than laying pipe in an open trench, but also more efficient. It will move between a series of shafts, and as each section is dug, the shafts will be closed – with only a manhole cover remaining visible.  

The mini machine works on the same principle as large-scale custom TBMs, which will carve out the SRL East twin tunnels from 2026.  

The SRL station at Clayton will become a transport superhub – linking passengers to the existing Metro line and connecting regional Victorians to SRL at the new rail interchange. For further information click here and au/39 for tunnelbuilder archive and also visit https://bigbuild.vic.gov.au . 30/22.