The John Holland CPB Contractors Ghella Joint Venture has reached a significant milestone on the Sydney Metro West Eastern Tunnelling Package, with tunnel boring machines Ruby and Jessie successfully disassembled and extracted from the Hunter Street Station cavern following their breakthrough into the site.
The two tunnel boring machines, which have been driving the eastern tunnels for the Sydney Metro West project on behalf of Sydney Metro and Transport for NSW, have been carefully taken apart inside the cavern after completing their tunnelling runs. The disassembly process involved lifting the machines out piece by piece, a technically demanding operation carried out within the confines of the underground station structure.
Among the most challenging elements of the extraction was the removal of each TBM‘s cutterhead. Measuring seven metres in diameter and weighing 90 tonnes, the cutterheads represent the business end of the tunnel boring machines, the rotating face that cuts through rock and soil to carve out the tunnel alignment deep beneath Sydney‘s streets. Lifting components of this size and weight out of an underground cavern in a dense urban environment requires precise planning, specialised lifting equipment and close coordination between engineering, safety and construction teams.
The breakthrough of Ruby and Jessie into the Hunter Street Station cavern and their subsequent disassembly marks the completion of a critical phase of tunnelling work on the Eastern Tunnelling Package. The achievement reflects the technical capability and project management expertise of the joint venture partners — John Holland, CPB Contractors and Ghella ANZ — who have been responsible for delivering this complex underground package.
Sydney Metro West is one of the largest public transport projects in Australian history, extending the Sydney Metro network from the existing Sydney CBD through to Parramatta. When complete, the new line will provide a fast, high-frequency metro service connecting some of Sydney‘s most important activity centres, significantly increasing the capacity and connectivity of the city’s public transport network.
The Eastern Tunnelling Package covers the tunnel drives and station construction at the eastern end of the Sydney Metro West alignment, including the Hunter Street Station site. The successful extraction of Ruby and Jessie brings the project one step closer to the completion of underground works and the broader delivery of Sydney Metro West for the people of Sydney.
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