The first component of Suburban Connect’s second TBM for the Suburban Rail Loop East has arrived on site in Melbourne.
TBM Belinda’s arrival follows that of TBM Aayushi in August. Suburban Connect consortium, comprising CPB Contractors, Ghella and Acciona, will deploy the two TBMs to excavate 10km on the southern twin tunnels between Clarinda and Glen Waverley.
TBM Aayushi is scheduled to being tunnelling from the eastern launch shaft later this year, followed by TBM Belinda.
Suburban Connect will use four 7.24m-diameter Herrenknecht TBMs to build the southern section, including one TBM operated by the world’s first all-female crew.
Tunnelling on the Surburban Rail Loop commenced in September when the Terre Verde consortium launched TBM Alice on the northern section. A second machine, Hacia, is in the ground ready to start excavating soon.
They are the first of four CREG-manufactured EPBMs that Terra Verde, comprising Webuild, GS Engineering and Construction, and Bouygues Construction Australia, will deploy on the northern section.
