The machines, which have arrived on site, are:
- TBM Aayushi – named after heath advocate and medical student Aayushi Khillan, founder of social enterprise Body Buddies which uses soft toys to teach children about health.
- TBM Alice – named after music producer and musician Alice Ivy, who has been nominated for ARIA awards and has played more than 400 shows across the world.
- TBM Belinda – named after steam train driver and medical student Belinda McKenzie, the first woman to drive Melbourne’s historic Puffing Billy.
- TBM Bich Cam – named after Bich Cam Nguyen, founder and CEO of the Australian Vietnamese Women’s Association and 2021 Senior Australian of the Year.
- TBM Elizabeth – named after Elizabeth Chong, celebrity chef, teacher and author who pioneered the popularisation of traditional Chinese cuisine in Australia.
- TBM Hacia – named after construction industry trailblazer Hacia Atherton, founder of Empowered Women in Trades that seeks to create a more inclusive future of women in construction.
- TBM Issy – named after the world’s first female TBM pilot Isolde Piet, who will lead the SRL southern tunnelling crews, including the world’s first all-women TBM crew.
- TBM Muriel – named after Yorta Yorta, Dja Dja Wurrung, Taungurung, Bunurong Elder Aunty Muriel Bamblett, advocate for Aboriginal children and families and Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency CEO.
The TBMs started arriving on site in late 2025 and tunnelling will begin this year to carve 26km of twin tunnels between Cheltenham and Box Hill. At their deepest point, the tunnels will be approximately 60m below ground.
Four TBMs will launch from Clarinda to excavate the southern section of tunnels between Cheltenham and Glen Waverley, and another four from Burwood to dig the northern section of tunnels between Glen Waverley and Box Hill.
The TBMs were supplied by Herrenknecht and CREG.
