photo: NSW Government / Public domain/Five Dock Breakthrough
Sydney's ambitious Metro West project has marked a significant milestone, with two Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs), Daphne and Beatrice, achieving the first-ever double breakthrough in the southern hemisphere.
This groundbreaking event occurred at the Five Dock Metro Station, signaling a major leap forward in constructing the 24-kilometer metro tunnels stretching from Westmead to the Sydney CBD. The TBMs, each weighing 1,300 tonnes, have been working for about seven months to complete a 4.3-kilometer tunnel section from The Bays to Five Dock.
Daphne and Beatrice will spend the next few weeks at the western end of the Five Dock station cavern undergoing essential maintenance. So far, the TBMs have impressively excavated 437,463 tonnes of material each and installed around 30,732 precast concrete segments to form the new tunnel walls.
The next significant milestone for the two TBMs is their anticipated arrival at the Burwood North Metro Station site, located about two kilometers away, in early 2024. The Sydney Metro West project, which began construction in 2020, represents a transformative investment in Sydney's transport infrastructure. It's set to double rail capacity between Greater Parramatta and the Sydney CBD, while also fostering new community connections, supporting employment, and boosting housing supply.
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