tunnelling-journal (1)
tunnelling-journal (1)
  • Home
  • Print
    • Subscribe
    • Tunnelling Journal
    • Breakthrough
    • ITA Activity Report
    • A&NZ Journal
    • WTC Preview
    • Media Kit
  • Digital
    • Newsletter
    • E-Shots
    • TJ Digital edition
    • Products Page
    • Media Kit
  • Conferences
    • BTS Conference and Exhibition
    • Cutting Edge 2023
  • Buyer’s Guide
  • Events Diary
  • Jobs
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Podcast

Home > Drilling begins on North West Rail Link

Drilling begins on North West Rail Link

Tris Thomas

Written by Tris Thomas on 08/09/2011 in News

Tagged: underground

Sydney’s 23km long North West Rail Link today passed a major milestone with the start of geotechnical drilling work on the NSW Government’s priority rail infrastructure project. The work will help engineers determine the exact underground conditions for the construction of the link’s 15km long twin tube underground section, which will be Australia’s longest rail tunnels.

The 2011-12 Budget, announced yesterday, allocated $314M to the North West Rail Link project this year, with a provisional allocation of $2.5bn over four years.

NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell, Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian and Treasurer Mike Baird inspected drilling work at Old Northern Rd in Castle Hill, above what will be the new Castle Hill station.

Ms Berejiklian said the start of geotechnical drilling along the 23km route was a significant milestone. “This is an important part of the design work currently underway for the project and will help produce a very detailed picture of what the tunnelling contractors will encounter as they build our nation’s longest rail tunnels,” Ms Berejiklian said.

At least 150 boreholes with a diameter of up to 15cm will be drilled at various locations along the proposed alignment between Rouse Hill and Epping. The boreholes will be drilled to depths of up to 75m below ground and will be used to confirm underground geological profiles, rock types and site conditions. A core sample will be taken from each hole to provide a snapshot of the underground rock conditions in the area with details about rock type, geological fault areas and other underground characteristics. This will be important in helping finalise the civil design for the stations and the 15.5km of tunnel between Epping and Kellyville, and also for the remainder of the route. At the completion of the test work, sites will be restored to their original condition by contractors Coffey Geotechnics, which was last month appointed to do the drilling work through an open tender process.

Mr Baird said the start of drilling showed the NSW Government’s commitment to moving forward with construction of the North West Rail Link. “This is an important next step which takes us closer towards construction on this vital rail infrastructure project for the North West. It’s clear to see that the North West Rail Link is a top priority for the NSW Liberals & Nationals Government.

“This is just one of the projects in this year’s record infrastructure budget totalling $62.6bn over the next four years.

“This is a budget which builds for the future and secures the State’s economy,” Mr Baird said.

Ms Berejiklian said the community would be kept fully informed of the drilling timetable. “The project team will be working closely with the community and, where possible, the work is being carried out on public property and during normal construction hours,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“The community feedback about the North West Rail Link has been overwhelmingly positive, from locals visiting the new community information centre to having their say at community forums.”

Comments:

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search

Digital Edition

More Like This

12/07/2023

Casting starts for Fehmarnbelt immersed tube tunnel

Casting starts for Fehmarnbelt immersed tube tunnel

Casting of the tunnel elements for the 18km Fehmarnbelt Immersed Tunnel between Lolland in Denmark and Puttgarden on the German…

30/07/2023

Good progress reported on Río Subterráneo a Lomas tunnel

Good progress reported on Río Subterráneo a Lomas tunnel

TERRATEC has reported impressive progress rates for the two 4.66m diameter EPBMs currently operational in Buenos Aires, Argentina on the…

24/05/2023

CRCHI 14.02m diameter machine breakthrough on Shanghai Airport link

CRCHI 14.02m diameter machine breakthrough on Shanghai Airport link

On April 12th, the 14.02m CRCHI TBM ‘New Crossing’ successfully completed boring on the Lot II tunnel section of the…

  • Contact Us
  • Media Kit
  • Magazine Archive

Newsletter

The latest from the Tunneling Journal direct to your inbox.

Social



Enquiries

TGS Media Ltd
The Old Library
Webster House
Dudley Road
Tunbridge Wells
TN1 1LE
United Kingdom

© Tunnelling Journal. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy / Terms & Conditions. Admin

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkRead more