On the 06/08/2021 TBM Else (1350 t and 165 m long), the first of Cross River Rail’s two massive TBMs, which had launched from the Woolloongabba site in early 2021 has broken through a rock wall into the 280-m long and 15 m high underground cavern beneath Roma Street, marking the biggest milestone yet for this transformational project.

It tunnelled 2,580 m beneath the Brisbane River and CBD  at a rate of 20 to 30 m per day and it excaved 105,000 m3 of spoil.  It means Cross River Rail’s future Woolloongabba and Roma Street stations, key to securing the 2032 Olympics, are now connected by a tunnel that runs beneath the Brisbane River and CBD.
  Meanwhile, further upgrades are slated at Roma Street station following a decision to keep the Inner Northern Busway (INB) at Roma Street on its current alignment.  TBM Merle is also expected to breakthrough at Roma Street in coming weeks, with both continuing through to the project’s northern portal at Normanby and emerging by the end of the year. THe TBMs will excavate the bulk (about 3.8km) of Cross River Rail’s 5.9km of twin tunnels and they will install over 27,000 concrete segments weighing 4.2 t each along the tunnel walls as they go.  From late August, changes will be made to the existing Northern Tunnel Portal site access at Victoria Park to prepare for removal of the TBMs with oversized vehicles. 
Click here and au/37 for the tunnelbuilder archive. For further information on the project please visit https://crossriverrail.qld.gov.  33/21.