Arcadis, the leading global Design & Consultancy for natural and built assets, contributed to the first tunnelling breakthrough on the Sydney Metro City & Southwest project on April 5, 2019. The first mega tunnel boring machine (TBM) Nancy launched on the project broke through at Waterloo after tunnelling 3.1 kilometres from Marrickville.
John Holland CPB Ghella (JHCPBG) is delivering 15.5 kilometre long twin railway tunnels from the end of Sydney Metro Northwest at Chatswood, deep under Sydney Harbour, through the CBD, and south west to Sydenham, as part of Australia’s biggest public transport project.
JHCPBG engaged Arcadis along with BGE to design all the tunnel station excavations. Arcadis’ work involves the dive structures at Chatswood and Sydenham, the station excavations at Waterloo and Crows Nest, and all the shaft excavations and temporary works for access at the new Pitt Street, Martin Place and Victoria Cross stations. Arcadis is also providing all the excavation and tunnel station design for the Barangaroo Station site.
TBM Nancy broke through a wall of rock at the site of the new Waterloo Station. Nancy is one of five TBMs building the metro tunnels and will keep tunnelling via new metro stations at Central, Pitt Street, Martin Place, and on to Barangaroo, delivering an 8.1 kilometre tunnel. Her mega borer stablemate TBM Mum Shirl is doing the same and only a few hundred metres behind Nancy in delivering their twin tunnels.
Phil Kajewski, Managing Director Transportation Australia Pacific, Arcadis: ‘‘There will be a second breakthrough in the coming months when TBM Mum Shirl arrives at Waterloo. Two other TBMs, which launched from Chatswood earlier this year, are excavating tunnels towards Crows Nest, on their way to Blues Point on Sydney Harbour.’’
TBM Nancy will spend about two weeks at Waterloo undergoing planned maintenance before it is relaunched through the opposite end of the station box towards Central Station.
Sydney Metro opens in the city’s northwest in the middle of this year – with 13 metro stations, 4000 commuter car parking spaces and 36 kilometres of new metro rail.