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$300 million under budget as major milestone reached
NSW Premier Mike Baird and Minister for Transport Gladys Berejiklian today announced the North West Rail Link is running ahead of schedule and $300 million under budget, as the landmark project reached another major tunnelling milestone.
All four tunnel boring machines now digging
The fourth massive North West Rail Link tunnel boring machine has started digging and has been named ‘Maria’, after 19th century Aboriginal rights advocate Maria Lock. On major tunnelling projects around the world, underground workers look to Saint Barbara for protection and, because of that, machines that work underground are traditionally given female names. The North West Rail Link is the first transport project in Australian construction history to use four Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs). After starting four months early in September last year, tunnelling is now well underway to deliver Australia’s longest railway tunnels, twin 15 kilometre tunnels from Bella Vista to Epping.
Three major awards wins for the North West Rail Link
The North West Rail Link project team has taken out three major industry awards, including a prestigious Banksia Award and an Australasian award for outstanding community consultation on Australia’s biggest public transport infrastructure project.
North West Rail Link passes first tunnelling milestone
Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) 1 Elizabeth has reached its first major milestone - tunnelling the first 1 kilometre of Australia's longest railway tunnels.
Italian Prime Minister visits construction site
NSW Premier and Minister for Western Sydney Mike Baird and Minister for Transport Gladys Berejiklian today joined Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi to inspect major construction work on the North West Rail Link’s landmark skytrain and Kellyville Station.
Isabelle joins the big dig
Tunnel boring machine (TBM) 3 Isabelle is the first tunnel boring machine to start digging from the Cherrybrook construction site. She joins TBM1 Elizabeth and TBM2 Florence in building Australia's longest railway tunnels and will travel 6 kilometres from Cherrybrook to Epping. At the Cherrybrook construction site, up to 75,000 tonnes of rock has been dug out to get to the tunnelling depth of 16 m to get Isabelle on her way. All crushed rock from tunnelling will be recycled, with none going to landfill.
Full steam ahead
Three of the North West Rail Link’s four massive tunnel boring machines (TBMs) are now in the ground and tunnelling, as work continues on Australia’s biggest public transport project.
Third tunnel boring machine Isabelle arrives in the north west
The third of the four North West Rail Link tunnel boring machines has arrived in Sydney and has been named Isabelle.
Florence and the (tunnel boring) machine
The second of our four tunnel boring machines (TBMs) has arrived at the Bella Vista construction site.
OTS contract awarded
NSW Premier Mike Baird and Minister for Transport Gladys Berejiklian have announced Sydney’s brand new rapid transit trains will run every four minutes.