The tunnel boring machine (TBM) Elizabeth launched underground on 8 September 2014 during a live, online broadcast from the Bella Vista construction site, kicking off the first stage of construction for Transport New South Wales’ $A8.3 billion Sydney project.
Eight new stations will be delivered as part of the project between Epping and Rouse Hill, via Cherrybrook, Castle Hill and Kellyville in Sydney’s North West.
TBM Elizabeth is the first of four machines to be delivered from France to New South Wales in order to complete the tunnelling. Another TBM, yet to be named, will join Elizabeth soon, both making the 9 km journey from Bella Vista to Cherrybrook at a rate of a predicted
120 m a week.
Two more TBM’s will later tunnel the 6 km course from Cherrybrook to Epping, all four TBM’s eventually digging Australia’s longest railway tunnels to date, aiming to be completed by 2017.