AUSTRALIA: The first SRL East TBMs are being assembled in Melbourne before tunnelling later in 2026, with Yurringa Energy contracted to supply the four northern-section machines with 100% renewable electricity.

Suburban Rail Loop East construction works beside Whitehorse Road in Box Hill, Melbourne
SRL East construction works beside Whitehorse Road in Box Hill, photographed in July 2024; illustrative and not the current renewable-power announcement. Photo: Philip Mallis / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0

The supply deal covers the machines that will excavate 10 kilometres of twin tunnels between Glen Waverley and Box Hill. The renewable-energy arrangement was announced on 20 April, while a late-June construction update confirmed that TBM assembly was continuing at Burwood ahead of tunnelling later this year.

Four SRL East TBMs for the northern tunnels

Yurringa Energy will supply the electricity to Terra Verde, the consortium of Webuild, GS Engineering and Construction Australia, and Bouygues Construction Australia delivering the northern tunnel section. The wider A$1.7 billion Tunnels North contract was awarded to Terra Verde in 2024.

Each earth pressure balance machine will be more than 100 metres long and have a 7.28-metre-diameter cutterhead. This machine type balances pressure at the excavation face, helping it work through local ground conditions while limiting surface impacts.

The first two TBMs are being assembled at Burwood and are due to tunnel south towards Glen Waverley later in 2026. Two further machines are scheduled to launch in 2027 and head north towards Box Hill. Acoustic sheds are being built to reduce construction noise, while excavation is progressing for the underground Burwood station space.

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Yurringa expands its infrastructure role

The contract brings Australia’s first Indigenous-owned energy retailer into the supply chain for one of the country’s largest rail construction projects. Yurringa previously supplied 137.5 gigawatt-hours of renewable electricity to site compounds and TBMs on Melbourne’s North East Link road tunnel project.

Founder Daniel Briggs said that experience gave the company a stronger understanding of transport and infrastructure delivery. He also linked the new contract to Yurringa’s aim of expanding employment for First Nations people as the business wins more work.

“There needs to be more incentives and encouragement for the rail industry to consider using green energy and alternative fuels,” Briggs said.

SRL East targets a 2035 opening

SRL East will connect Cheltenham and Box Hill through six underground stations at Cheltenham, Clayton, Monash, Glen Waverley, Burwood and Box Hill. The Victorian Government says passenger services are planned to begin in 2035.

More than 3,000 people are currently working on the project, with up to 8,000 direct local jobs expected over the construction period. All SRL East TBMs and future trains are intended to use renewable electricity, while the stations will target 5-star Green Star ratings.

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