Two tunnel boring machines (TBMs) Daphne and Beatrice are preparing to re-launch in the coming weeks, as they make their way from the Five Dock Metro Station site to Burwood North Station site.
Hundreds of pre-cast tunnel segments have been delivered to The Bays Metro Station site, ready to meet the machines as they progress up to 90 metres below Sydney’s inner west.
Each day, more than 250 precast tunnel segments will be transported from The Bays, through the newly built tunnels beneath Iron Cove to Five Dock, where they’ll meet Daphne and Beatrice.
TBMs Beatrice and Daphne launched last year from the western side of The Bays Station. Both machines have progressed significantly in their tunnelling journey, having installed approximately 30,700 of 150,000 segments that will line the new tunnel walls.
At the eastern end of the site, work has commenced to prepare the 32-metre-deep station box for two new TBMs that will launch from The Bays to tunnel under Darling Harbour towards the city in mid-2024.
These TBMs, each weighing about 1,300 tonnes, are the final two of six mega tunnelling machines for Sydney Metro West.
A second, supersized shed on the western side of The Bays site is being used for storing excavated material after it is transferred from the TBMs on conveyor belts. The shed holds a maximum of 40,000 tonnes of material that is continuously being moved for reuse on other sites across Sydney.
As announced by the NSW Government, The Bays is one of the priority precincts to be rezoned to allow for a major new housing uplift.
The Bays Metro Station will deliver a rail service to the area for the first time and support this renewal of the harbourside precinct.
Sydney Metro West is expected to be complete by 2032.
Get more information about the project.
Quotes attributable to Transport Minister Jo Haylen:
“Our Metro Review has ensured a new and improved Sydney Metro West will be delivered for the people of NSW, with a focus on driving housing supply.
“The Bays is in full tunnelling mode and teams here are laser-focused on constructing this new metro line that will deliver unrivalled public transport for all of Sydney.
“The benefits of this city-shaping mega project extend beyond fast, reliable travel. Sydney Metro West will transform communities, act as a catalyst for new housing and support new precincts like at The Bays which hasn’t previously been serviced by a rail connection.”
