The Cross River Rail’s second tunnel boring machine (TBM) is expected to break through at Roma Street today, joining ‘Else’ at the underground cavern under Roma Street.
‘Else’ – the first of the two TBMs – broke through to Roma Street Station last Wednesday after boring through a wall of hard rock.
The second TBM, ‘Merle’, is expected to reach her destination today, thereby completing the twin tunnel connection between Roma Street and Woolloongabba Cross River Rail stations.
In a joint statement from the Queensland Premier and Minister for Transport and Main Roads Annastacia Palaszczuk said the breakthrough marked a major milestone in construction of the Cross River Rail.
The Premier said Cross River Rail was an important part of the state’s COVID-19 Economic Recovery Plan, injecting more than $4 million a day into the economy and employing more than 2,900 workers, including more than 370 directly working on the twin tunnels.
“Major infrastructure projects backed by my government are creating jobs and rebuilding Queensland’s economy,” the Premier said.
“These machines have both excavated more than 2.5 km of tunnel below the Brisbane River and CBD, passing under Albert Street and breaking through at Roma Street.
“This is the same route people will travel in the future to get to where they need to be, including between the athletics and swimming events at the 2032 Games.”
Transport Minister Mark Bailey said the TBMs would take about four weeks to traverse the Roma Street cavern on a skidding system and would then continue on to the project’s northern portal, where they would break through by the end of the year.
All major construction works on the Cross River Rail are due to be completed by 2040.
For more information and to track the Cross River Rail TBMs, visit the Cross River Rail website.