The all-women TBM crew for Australia’s Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) East project is undertaking specialist training in preparation for tunnelling to start this year.
The all-women crew is a world-first initiative to help bring more women into the construction and tunnelling industries. The 18 members include women with prior experience in tunnelling and construction, as well as those who have come from retail, hospitality and other sectors.
Crew members have been gaining hands-on experience at SRL East construction sites to build the skills and knowledge required for tunnelling roles. Those with less than five years’ experience in civil construction are completing a Certificate III in Civil Construction through the Victorian Tunnelling Centre at Holmesglen Institute – Australia’s only dedicated tunnelling training facility.
They’re learning skills to help them build careers in tunnelling and major infrastructure, such as work health and safety, underground services, tunnel excavation methods and the operation of plant and machinery.
The crew will include a range of specialist positions, including TBM operators, gantry crane operators, segment crane operators and support roles. The initiative is being led by SRL East construction manager tunnels Isolde Piet, the world’s first female TBM pilot.
When tunnelling begins in 2026, crew members will initially be deployed across SRL tunnelling operations to gain on-the-job experience. From 2027, the crew will come together to begin tunnelling as the world’s first all-women TBM crew.
One of the eight TBMs that will dig the 26km of tunnels between Cheltenham and Box Hill has been named after Isolde Piet.
