Two TBMs for Melbourne’s Surburban Rail Loop have been lowered into the launch shaft at Burwood.
The 500-tonne TBM shields were assembled on the surface before being lifted into the shaft by a specialised crane. The approach allowed work to continue in the shaft and at ground level while the TBMs were assembled.
The TBMs – named Alice and Hacia – will be the first in Victoria to be launched using an ‘umbilical’ method, where tunnelling begins while the TBM is still being built.
The front part of the TBMs will be launched first, with power and support systems connected to the surface by cables and hoses. Once the first section of the tunnel has been excavated, the remaining TBM components will be installed to create machines approximately 120m long.
Terra Verde, comprising Webuild, GS Engineering and Construction, and Bouygues Construction Australia, will deploy the machines to the construct the northern section of twin tunnels connecting Glen Waverley and Box Hill.
The Suburban Connect consortium comprising CPB Contractors, Ghella, and Acciona is delivering the southern section between Cheltenham and Glen Waverley.
SRL East between Cheltenham and Box Hill will deliver six new underground stations and more than 8,000 jobs during construction. It will provide better transport links to Monash and Deakin universities, Monash Medical Centre, Box Hill Hospital and the Box Hill Institute.
The line is scheduled to open in 2035.
