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Welcome to Showground TBM1 Elizabeth!
Tunnelling on the North West Rail Link is more than a third complete as, Elizabeth, the first of the project’s four tunnel boring machines (TBMs) today broke through into the new Showground Station site.
Another major tunnelling milestone reached
Florence, the second massive North West Rail Link tunnel boring machine (TBM), today broke through into the new Norwest Station area. All four 900 tonne tunnel boring machines are now in the ground ahead of schedule and have dug more than 6 kilometres of their 30 kilometre journey. The new design of Norwest Station, one of eight new state-of-the-art railway stations, has also been released. Norwest is one of the fastest growing employment centres in Sydney. About 15,000 people travel here for work every day, including from major Australian and international companies, and this is expected to increase to 30,000 by 2031. New designs of Norwest Station The station at Norwest is being built underground, with platforms about 20 metres beneath the surface of the booming Norwest Business Park. Key features of the new Norwest Station include:
Community Information Centre to relocate
The North West Rail Link’s Community Information Centre (CIC) is on the move, but will continue keeping the community updated about Australia’s largest public transport project. The community will be kept informed about the location of a new Community Information Centre to be opened in coming months. Since it opened in June 2011, more than 30,000 people have received more information about the North West Rail Link by visiting the CIC at Castle Hill, our mobile CIC, or calling the information centre.
$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.