The Forrestfield site now houses facilities to support the machines, including a slurry separation plant, grout plant and a water treatment plant.
With the first 130 m long TBM already completely underground and more than 500 m from its launch site, operations at Forrestfield now continue 24/7.
In order to construct the approximate 9,000 concrete rings to build the tunnels, a warehouse has been converted into a segment facility over the last five months and is already producing 20-24 rings per day to support tunnelling operations.
The first machine has already installed 330 of the 4,500 rings for the first tunnel, achieving an average of 13 rings – or just over 20 m – each day.
At the airport central station, excavation of the underground station box is now 25 per cent complete and moving quickly, with the TBM anticipated to arrive in less than six months.
The second TBM has been transported to the dive structure and is scheduled to commence tunnelling at the end of October.
It is expected that the TBMs will take two years complete the drive to Bayswater.
For more information visit the Forrestfield-Airport Link website.
If you have a project you would like featured in Trenchless Australasia contact Managing Editor Nick Lovering at nlovering@gs-press.com.au