Sydney Metro West has already hit multiple breakthroughs in 2024, with five stations fully tunnelled so far.
Six tunnel boring machines (TBMs) will carve out the Sydney Metro West line between the Sydney CBD and Westmead, New South Wales.
So far, four TBMs have begun their journeys commencing major tunnelling for the project.
TBMs Daphne and Beatrice were launched from The Bays Station site in Rozelle in 2023 and have tunnelled more than 4.3km towards Sydney Olympic Park.
Both TBMs achieved the first two breakthroughs for the project. Daphne broke through first before Beatrice, after building the section for seven months.
This led to the TBMs claiming the title as the first in the southern hemisphere to complete a double breakthrough.
To date, the TBMS have excavated a total of 437,463 tonnes of material each and installed around 30,732 concrete segments to line the new tunnel walls.
Meanwhile, TBMs Betty and Dorothy were launched from the Clyde Stabling and Maintenance Facility site in the second half of 2023 and are also making their way towards Sydney Olympic Park.
Daphne, Beatrice, Betty, and Dorothy are expected to reach Sydney Olympic Park in 2024.
Over at The Bays Station, the site is being prepared of the project’s two remaining TBMs that will be launched towards Hunter Street.
The two TBMs will carve out the 3.5km twin tunnels from The Bays, to Hunter Street in the Sydney CBD.
Construction of the twin metro tunnels from The Bays to Sydney Olympic Park is part of the Central Tunnelling Package awarded in July 2021 to the Acciona Ferrovial joint venture.
In a move to train the next generation of tunnelling workers, the project opened a new tunnelling and infrastructure academy.
The training facility is located in Western Sydney and is managed by Sydney Metro West delivery partners Gamuda and Laing O’Rourke Consortium, who are building the tunnels from Westmead to Sydney Olympic Park.
The custom-designed facility specialises in the delivery of training in civil construction, safety, and tunnelling.
It is also designed to help upskill existing and incoming workers to the industry by building capabilities and placing them in entry-level roles on the Sydney Metro project.
Some of the training activities include virtual reality simulators, which showcase underground tunnelling operations, and a decommissioned TBM to present a hands-on experience.
The training facility is accessible to workers across the industry and to members of the Western Sydney community who can access a curriculum of national accredited training forming part of the Australia Qualifications Framework.
It is expected up to 10,000 people will benefit from the training programs on offer at the facility, with 260 people currently participating across 19 programs.
The Sydney Metro West project will double rail capacity between Parramatta and the Sydney CBD.
Stations have been confirmed at Westmead, Parramatta, Sydney Olympic Park, North Strathfield, Burwood North, Five Dock, The Bays, Pyrmont, and Hunter Street in the Sydney CBD.
The target opening date for Sydney Metro West is 2032.
This article featured in the April edition of Trenchless Australasia.
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