Busy Time for RobbinsIn the US, the first of two Robbins TBMs has started on the 14km long Nancy Creek sewer tunnel in Atlanta, GA, while a Robbins 5.6 m-diameter hard rock machine at Chicago TARP broke through on the first 6.1 km leg of Little Calumet ahead of schedule.Meantime, two Robbins 7.2 m-diameter refurbished hard rock TBMs have arrived for the 28 km-long Parramatta Rail Link project in Sydney, Australia. Thiess Hochtief Joint Venture (THJV) will start tunnelling towards Epping from the centrally-positioned M2 site next month, with the second TBM following in October. After reaching Epping, both TBMs will be brought back through the tunnel to the M2 site, and relaunched towards Chatswood. Scheduled advance is 120-180 m/week/machine, with a total excavation of 1.7 million cu m by completion in late-2005. The Series 230 TBMs have new cutterheads and are fitted with roof drills, probe drills, wire mesh installation systems and ring beam erectors. Robbins has also supplied two 6.4 km-long continuously extending conveyor systems, a 30 m-long fixed conveyor, a 232 m-long inclined conveyor, and a radial stacker conveyor.At the other side of the world, in Abdalajis, Spain, two 10.2 m-diameter Robbins/Mitsubishi TBMs are being readied to start boring the 7 km-long rail tunnel in September. Visit www.robbinstbm.com 34/03. Lowering the first Robbins 7.2 m TBM cutterhead to its main beam at the M2 site for the Parramatta rail link tunnels