Tunnelling has kicked off on the $1.8bn Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport project, with boring underway on the underground section of the new 23km line.
The two 1,066-tonne TBMs Eileen and Peggy have started their journeys at the future Airport Business Park Station, carving out the first 5.5km southern sections of the twin metro tunnels towards the Aerotropolis. The TBMs are now well into the ground, bringing metro services one step closer for Greater Western Sydney locals.
The TBMs will excavate around 120m of tunnels per week, the first step in delivering the six new metro stations along the line from St Marys to the centre of the new Aerotropolis.
The tunnelling contract was awarded in December 2021 to CPB Contractors and Ghella Joint Venture to build the new twin metro rail tunnels.
The Station Boxes and Tunnelling contract includes:
- 8km of twin rail tunnels in two sections. The 4.3km northern tunnels run from St Marys to Orchard Hills and the 5.5km southern section of tunnels runs between the Airport Business Park and the Aerotropolis Station
- Excavation and civil works for new stations at St Marys, Orchard Hills, Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport, and Aerotropolis
- Four hard rock TBMs
- Building one of the two temporary precast concrete factories for the project on the Western Sydney International site
- More than 67,000 concrete segments to line the twin tunnels
- Two TBM launch sites at Orchard Hills and Western Sydney International and two TBM retrieval sites at St Marys and Aerotropolis Station
Once the tunnelling contract is complete in late 2024, work will continue to lay tracks and fit out stations.
The Australian and NSW governments are jointly delivering the 23km metro railway.
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