The last two of six TBMs, 1.3t in weight, for the 24-km Sydney Metro West project between Westmead and the Sydney CBD have successfully completed their Factory Acceptance Tests. These machines are mixed shield slurry TBMs, which are suitable in softer ground conditions and high-water pressures - ideal for tunnelling beneath the harbour.
At the eastern end of The Bays site, work has commenced to prepare the 32-m-deep station box for the launch of the two new TBMs. They will carve out the 3.5-km twin tunnels from The Bays, under Darling Harbour, to Hunter Street in the Sydney CBD in mid-2024.
Meanwhile work deep underground to build the Sydney Metro West tunnels is powering ahead, with four of six TBMs in the ground.
In the coming weeks the two TBMs Daphne and Beatrice – 1.3 t in weight - are preparing to re-launch from Five Dock Metro Station, as they have to continue their journey to Sydney Olympic Park. Next stop for the TBMs is the Burwood North Metro Station site about 2 km away, where they are due to arrive in early 2024.
In December 2023 the TBMs Beatrice and Daphne launched from the western side of The Bays station box, and broke through at Five Dock Metro Station. TBM Daphne broke through first, followed closely by TBM Beatrice, after building the 4.3-km section of metro tunnel from The Bays to Five Dock for around seven months and installing approximately 30,732 segments to line the new tunnel walls.
The huge machines have excavated a total of 437,463 t of material each. The Five Dock station cavern - 22 m wide and 30 m deep - was excavated with about 286,047 t of material removed.
TBM Betty and TBM Dorothy - the first autonomous TBMs to be used in Australia - are progressing well on their journey since launching from the Clyde launch box. The two TBMs are tunnelling approximately 180 m a week and are expected to complete the first 4.5-km leg of their journey and arrive at Sydney Olympic Park in mid-2024. The TBMs are installed with artificial intelligence software, which has the capability to automatically steer, operate and monitor the machine.
TBM Dorothy has been named in honour of Dorothy Buckland-Fuller who was an Australian human rights and founded the Australian Migrant Women's Association.
TBM Betty was named after Olympic champion Betty Cuthbert who attended Parramatta Home Science School (now Macarthur Girls High School).
Thousands of precast segments are being manufactured in western Sydney to line the 24-km Sydney Metro West tunnels. The Eastern Creek Precast Facility is made up of three huge sheds, each with its own production line, and was purpose-built to support construction of the new metro line that will connect Greater Parramatta to the Sydney CBD. A total of 61,000 of almost 150,000 precast segments, weighing 3.5 t each, have been produced at the facility since it opened late last year, with operations continuing around the clock from Monday to Saturday and maintenance work on Sunday.
Approximately 500 segments are produced at the facility each day and stored in the yard, before being transported to the appropriate site for loading onto one of the operational TBMs. The TBM then installs the segments to the tunnel walls as it excavates forming the rings that line the tunnels.
For further information on the project click here and au/11 for tunnelbuilder archive and visit https://www.sydneymetro.info. 04/23
