Construcciones Yamaro: Ruby deployed for final Metro West tunnel beneath Sydney Harbour
Tunnel boring machine (TBM) Ruby has begun carving out the final section of tunnel for the Sydney Metro West project.
Launching from The Bays, TBM Ruby will join TBM Jessie in constructing the 2.3km twin railway tunnels, creating a critical new connection between Sydney’s west and the heart of the city. The tunnels will run deep under the harbour, enhancing transport links for future generations.
Named after Ruby Payne-Scott, a pioneer in women’s rights and Australia’s first radio astronomer, TBM Ruby is the last of six TBMs deployed for the 24km Metro West tunnels.
Weighing 1,100 tonnes, the machine will operate 24/7 to complete this highly complex section of the route, passing beside the Anzac Bridge and tunnelling beneath two sections of the harbour to reach the Sydney CBD.
New South Wales Minister for Transport Jo Haylen highlighted the transformative nature of the project, stating: “Over the next 20 years, 420,000 people are expected to move into the corridor surrounding these future Metro stations. This new line will keep our growing city moving.”
Related stories:
- Tunnel boring machines power ahead as Sydney Metro heads west
- Relics centuries old found beneath Sydney Metro Parramatta
- Sydney Metro West stations get green light
Since June, TBM Jessie has already excavated 615 metres and installed over 2,200 concrete segments to line the tunnel walls. Together, the two machines will remove 460,000 tonnes of material and install 16,536 segments to form the tunnels between The Bays and Hunter Street.
These tunnels will form the second under-harbour railway crossing for Sydney, with the first built between the city’s north and Barangaroo for the metro M1 line, which has recorded 82 million journeys since opening on 19 August.
The TBMs are making their way towards Pyrmont Crossover and Station caverns, where they will traverse the station cavern before being relaunched towards Hunter Street Station, expected to arrive in mid-to-late 2025.
Both TBMs are mixed-shield (slurry) machines, specifically designed to handle the high-pressure conditions expected beneath Sydney Harbour. Parts of these machines were repurposed from those used in constructing the Sydney Metro City & Southwest tunnels.
The under-harbour tunnels and new station caverns at Pyrmont and Hunter Street are being excavated by the John Holland CPB Contractors Ghella Joint Venture, as part of the Sydney Metro West – Eastern Tunnelling Package.
Major tunnelling is progressing across the alignment, with two TBMs completing the 11km tunnels from The Bays to Sydney Olympic Park, and a further two TBMs in the ground to build the 9km tunnels between Sydney Olympic Park and Westmead.
Once completed, Sydney Metro West will double rail capacity between Greater Parramatta and the CBD, making it easier to travel across Western Sydney, linking new communities to vital rail services and supporting employment growth and housing supply.
The post Ruby deployed for final Metro West tunnel beneath Sydney Harbour appeared first on Inside Construction.
View Source
Comments
Post a Comment