The world’s first all-women TBM crew will be part of the team building Melbourne’s Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) East – and recruitment is now underway. The crew will be led by SRL East Tunnels South Construction Manager Isolde Piet – who was the first female TBM pilot in the world.
The team will include around 25 highly skilled roles, including the TBM operator, gantry and segment crane operators, grouters and support roles – opening up careers for a new generation of women. It will be 1 of 8 crews operating the four TBMs digging the SRL East twin tunnels between Cheltenham and Glen Waverley.
Expressions of Interest are now open for those keen to be part of this ground-breaking crew. And previous experience is not necessary – as well as women already working in construction and tunnelling, women working in other industries and those at the start of their careers are also encouraged to apply, with comprehensive training forming part of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
SRL East will deliver six new underground stations between Cheltenham and Box Hill, slashing travel times and congestion, and connecting people to new housing options and key employment, health and education destinations in Melbourne’s east and south east. Trains will be taking passengers in 2035.
Construction of SRL East is creating up to 8000 jobs, with works underway at all 6 station sites and more than 1400 people already working on the project. Crews are moving underground services and building tunnel boring machine launch sites, preparing sites for major construction.
Suburban Connect is the consortium delivering the Tunnel South contract to build the 16km of twin tunnels between Cheltenham and Glen Waverley. Tunnelling for SRL East will start in 2026, and the all-women TBM crew is expected to be operating by 2027.
The all-women tunnelling crew will break down barriers and create new pathways for women in construction. At least 10% of total labour hours on the Tunnels South works will be worked by women.
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