Four more TBMs have been ordered to build Melbourne’s Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) East twin tunnels.
The TBMs supplied by China Railway Engineering Group (CREG) and currently being manufactured in Zhengzhou will be used on the northern section of the tunnels between Glen Waverley and Box Hill.
They are in addition to the four TBMs already on the way for the southern section of the tunnels between Glen Waverley and Cheltenham.
All four of the latest TBMs ordered will launch from Burwood. The first two will start tunnelling next year, heading south to Glen Waverley, while the two heading north towards Box Hill will launch later.
Each EPBM will have a diameter of just over 7m and be more than 100m long.
Major construction of SRL East from Cheltenham to Box Hill is under way, with more than 3000 people already working on the project. Excavation of the 19m-deep TBM launch site in Burwood is nearing completion, ready for the TBMs to start arriving on site early next year.
SRL East comprises 26km of twin tunnels connecting six new underground stations. It is due to open in 2035.
