Two giant TBMs - 90m long, 15.6 m in diameter and 4000 tons in weight - have been ordered from the German supplier Herrenknecht to help build the North East Link’s 6.5km road tunnels that will fix the missing link in Melbourne freeway network, slash travel times by up to 35 minutes and get 15,000 trucks off local roads.  

The TBMs will drive beneath the Yarra River, will cater for all expected ground conditions, and will tunnel up to 40m underground. They’ll be operated 24 hours a day by a crew of up to 20 people – including TBM operators, electricians, mechanics, ring builders and tunnel engineers.   

The TBMs - ready for tunnelling in 2024 - will take around 18 months for the design, manufacturing, testing and transportation to Melbourne via ship. They will then be transported to site in Watsonia, lowered into the shaft, assembled, and launched on their journey south toward Bulleen.   

For further information please click here and au/36 for the tunnelbuilder archive. For further on the project visit https://bigbuild.vic.gov.au. 23/22.