The Torrens to Darlington project is set to receive a big boost, with new tunnel boring machines (TBMs) being tailor-made for the crew.
The TBM components are being made in Germany and China, and will be fully assembled and tested in China before being disassembled and shipped to Adelaide by sea.
The first components are expected to arrive in late 2025. Once in Adelaide, they will be assembled and commissioned before tunnelling begins.
Main construction will start this year, with tunnel boring machine works for the Southern Tunnels planned to begin in the third quarter of 2026
TBMs are very large and complex pieces of machinery that excavate tunnels and can bore through a variety of ground conditions.
The TBMs we will use to construct the T2D Tunnels have been purchased from world-leading manufacturer Herrenknecht AG.
The T2D project is the final 10.5km section of the North-South Corridor, and will complete 78km of non-stop, traffic light-free motorway between Gawler and Old Noarlunga.
Drivers will be able to bypass 21 sets of traffic lights between the River Torrens and Darlington as they travel through two separate tunnels, connected by an open motorway.
These TBMs are around 100m long with a diameter of around 15m, and will operate continuously and progress about 8-10m per day.
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