Sydney Metro West tunnelling in full swing at The Bays

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. 
In preparation, hundreds of precast tunnelling segments have been delivered to the site to support the tunnelling activity from The Bays to Sydney Olympic Park, with more than 288 segments stored at the site at any one time.  

TBMs Beatrice and Daphne launched last year from the western side of The Bays station box. Both machines have progressed significantly in their tunnelling journey, having installed approximately 30,732 segments to line the new tunnel walls.  

At the eastern end of the site, work has commenced to prepare the 32-metre-deep station box for the launch of two new TBMs from The Bays to tunnel under Darling Harbour towards the city in mid-2024.

The TBMs, each weighing about 1,300 tonnes, are the final two of six mega tunnelling machines for Sydney Metro.

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 out of by trucks for reuse on other sites across Sydney.

The Bays Station will deliver rail to the area for the first time and act as a catalyst for renewal of the harbourside precinct.

For more information about the project, visit sydneymetro.info/west/project-overview.