Bella, the first TBM that will build the West Gate Tunnel, has arrived in Melbourne. The TBM is 90 m long, 15.6 m high and weighs 4,000 t. The hundreds of pieces that make up Bella will be delivered over the next few weeks to the West Gate Tunnel’s northern portals in Footscray. It will then be assembled over the coming months. 

Specialised training for the West Gate Tunnel Project has now also started. More than 30 tunnel workers will be using a hyperbaric chamber that has been installed on site, allowing them to learn how to operate in pressurised conditions.

Workers will work up to 35 m below ground level and will need to spend up to two hours depressurising before returning to the surface. Up to 20 people will work in the TBM at any one time. Click here for a video, here and au/35 for the tunnelbuilder archive. Visit http://westgatetunnelproject.vic.gov.au   and https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/. 03/19.

http://westgatetunnelproject.vic.gov.au/about/latest-updates/massive-tunnel-boring-machine-arrives-in-melbourne

https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/massive-tunnel-boring-machine-arrives-in-melbourne/