‘Jana’ will be operated by tunnelling specialist Rob Carr with works expected to take place through September.
Western Australia Minister for Transport, Planning and Ports Rita Saffioti last week announced the arrival of tunnel boring machine (TBM) ‘Jana’ on the METRONET Thornlie-Cockburn Link Project.
TBMs ‘Grace’ and ‘Sandy’ have already been busy at work constructing the Airport Line underground.
Jana will be used to drill twin 100 m tunnels under the freight rail corridor near Ranford Road Bridge, which falls under the Thornlie-Cockburn Link project as part of the METRONET project.
The machine will be operated by tunnel-boring expert Rob Carr, with work expected to take place through August and September.
The TBM is 3.5 m long and weighs 27 t, and was named after 13-year-old Coogee resident Jana Edmondson.
Ms Edmondson has cerebral palsy, and according to her father Paul, her favourite activity is riding the train to Perth and interacting with the other passengers.
Jana was one name selected out of more than 1,300 entries.
TBMs are traditionally given female names for good luck in honour of the patron saint of underground workers, Saint Barbara, who is believed to bring success to the project.
METRONET was a key election promise from the newly-reelected McGowan Labor government.
It includes 72 km of new passenger rail and up to 18 new stations, encompassing a rail link from the Perth airport to Forrestfield in the southeast and an extension to Yanchep in the north, among other projects.
The $1.86 billion project is expected to be operational in the first half of 2022.
For more information visit the METRONET website.