City Rail Link’s (CRL) tunnel boring machine (TBM) has broken through at Karanga Hape Station, reaching Mount Eden, New Zealand.
The TBM, named Dame Whina Cooper, has travelled 900 m from the start point at Maungawhau Station (Mt Eden).
The CRL is New Zealand’s largest infrastructure project, comprising a 3.45 km twin-tunnel project. The TBM was boring 42 m below the city centre in Auckland.
The Dame Whina Cooper TBM has taken three months to reach this point in the project, removing 74 thousand tonnes of spoil on the way, and placing 526 segmented rings to line the tunnel.
The project faced a number of unique challenges, the first being situated in the midst of an established city. Other challenges included navigating through reclaimed land, establishing the tunnel gradient, and the proximity of the final destination to the harbour.
The CRL project aims to respond to Auckland’s annual population growth, which results in a tight timeframe for the project to be completed. It will transform the existing Britomart Transport Centre into a two-way through-station to improve public transport through the city.
The next phase of the CRL involves pushing the TBM through the 230 m tunnel at Karanga a Hape Station to the Beresford Square station entrance.
The CRL project aims to break ground at Mayoral Drive around September.
To directly follow the TBM’s journey, click here.
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