The first four tunnel boring machines (TBMs) for the Victorian Government’s Suburban Rail Loop have now been ordered.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan and Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny also announced Herrenknecht – one of the world’s leading TBM manufacturers – is the preferred contractor to supply the TBMs that will drill 16km of twin tunnels between Cheltenham and Glen Waverley.
The Suburban Rail Loop will transform Victoria, and by 2026, tunnel boring machines will be in the ground and more than 4,000 people will be directly working on the project.
All four TBMs will be powered by 100 per cent renewable electricity while two of the TBMs will come to Victoria after helping build Sydney Metro – reducing the carbon footprint of the works.
When assembled, each TBM will be up to 120m long and more than 7m wide, with all four to be launched from Clarinda – two drilling south to Cheltenham and two north towards Glen Waverley – travelling close to 90m a week.
Two types of TBMs will be operating along the project’s alignment – two slurry machines will be used in the northern section, while in a Victorian first, two convertible machines will be used in the south – with the TBMs set to be converted from slurry to earth pressure balance machines to work through softer ground in Cheltenham.
In a world first, one of the eight crews operating the TBMs will be an all-women team – and more than 600 women have already applied for selection.
Construction is forging ahead across all six SRL station sites, including the excavation of a TBM launch site in Burwood and 1,400 people already working on the project.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan, said, “We can’t afford not to build the Suburban Rail Loop and we’re getting on with building a project that will transform Victoria.”
Victorian Minister for Planning, Sonya Kilkenny, said, “The Suburban Rail Loop will reshape how we grow – and will deliver 70,000 more homes above and around the six new stations.”
