Two TBMs working on Sydney Metro West have broken through at the Pyrmont metro station cavern within hours of each other.
TBMs Jessie and Ruby started their journey from The Bays precinct in May 2024, completing one of the most complex digs on the project. They are now just over 1km away from their final stop in the Sydney CBD at the future Hunter Street station.
The tunnel between The Bays and Pyrmont comes within 25m of the Anzac Bridge, goes under Johnstons Bay and through the complex geographical ground of the Luna Park Fault Zone.
The TBMs broke through within five hours of each other, making it only the second double TBM breakthrough for the Sydney Metro West project.
After a five-week pit stop 24m underground, Jessie and Ruby will start their final stretch of tunnelling under Darling Harbour to connect the project to Hunter Street in the heart of Sydney’s CBD.
Work to transform the western harbour foreshore has also progressed, with planning approval granted for a mixed-use precinct at Pyrmont. A 31-storey development above the station will provide 160 residential apartments and five levels of commercial and retail space.
On the doorstep of Darling Harbour and the new Sydney Fish Market, the new Pyrmont metro precinct will provide better connection to the harbourside suburb. When it opens in 2032, Sydney Metro West will connect Pyrmont to Hunter Street in just two minutes.
“TBMs Ruby and Jessie are doing a smashing job delivering this complex section of tunnels into Pyrmont,” said minister for transport John Graham.
“These tunnels will form what will be a critical public transport connection between the Sydney CBD and the Parramatta CBD. Pyrmont’s new metro station precinct will be a dynamic hub and play a key role in supporting the transformation of Sydney’s western harbourside into a growing entertainment destination.
“Sydney Metro West is more than just a transport project – along with moving hundreds of thousands of passengers each day, it will deliver up to 1,600 well-located homes within its station precincts.”
