Mega TBMs Catherine, Eileen and Peggy have completed their historic journeys to build metro rail tunnels for the Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport project.
TBM Peggy achieved the project’s penultimate tunnelling breakthrough last Friday after making a breakthrough at the newly named Bradfield Railway Station site, which was previously known as Aerotropolis Station.
TBM Peggy’s breakthrough follows TBM Eileen’s breakthrough at Bradfield on 29th May and completes major tunnelling work to construct the 5.5km tunnels from Airport Business Park, underneath the new Western Sydney International Airport, to Bradfield.
At the opposite end of the alignment, TBM Catherine was first to wrap up its tunnelling journey on 20th May. The TBM has built a 4.3km tunnel from Orchard Hills, under the M4 Motorway and the Great Western Highway to St Marys.
TBM Marlene is working hard to complete the final 230m of tunnel for the project and is expected to break through at St Marys in the coming weeks.
The TBMs have worked around the clock up to seven days a week to build the tunnels and have excavated 1.8M tonnes of material and the installation of 68,360 concrete segments to line the new tunnel walls. The focus of the mega project will now turn to the delivery of six new metro stations at St Marys, Orchard Hills, Luddenham, Airport Business Park, Airport Terminal and Bradfield.
Major station construction is already underway at St Marys, with the first large concrete pour taking place on 22nd May to build a 13m by 22m slab that will form part of the base to support the multi-level station above. Orchard Hills, Luddenham and Bradfield station sites are also being prepared for major station construction to commence in the coming months. Work inside the tunnels will continue and involve completing the construction of 39 cross passages and preparing for track laying.
A joint venture between CPB Contractors and Ghella was awarded the $1.8bn Station Boxes and Tunnelling contract in 2021 to deliver the 9.8km of twin metro tunnels, five station boxes and two services facilities shafts for the Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport project. The line will be operational when Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport opens for passenger services in 2026, with an expected travel time of 15 minutes from St Marys metro station to the Airport Terminal Station and a further five minutes to the Aerotropolis Station.
Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport is targeted to open in line with the start of operations at the new Western Sydney International Airport.
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