Sydney Metro TBMs Jessie and Ruby are being removed from deep beneath the Sydney CBD. They are the last two tunnel boring machines on any active Sydney Metro project. This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Sydney Metro’s Final TBMs Begin Massive 1,100-Tonne Exit from the CBD
Photo: Sydney Metro. Sydney Metro’s Final TBMs Begin Massive 1,100-Tonne Exit from the CBD

Each machine weighs 1100 tonnes and has completed 34 months of excavation on the Sydney Metro West line. Their route ran from The Bays through Pyrmont, under Darling Harbour and on to Hunter Street in the Sydney CBD.

Sydney Metro West TBMs reach Hunter Street

Both TBMs are being extracted at the future Hunter Street Station metro site. The work is being carried out through a carefully staged removal process.

Work to dismantle and remove TBM Ruby has been under way for more than six weeks. At least another four weeks are expected. By that time, TBM Jessie is also due to be fully retrieved from the site.

Before the machines can leave the underground works area, each TBM must be broken down into 16 major sections. These pieces are then lifted through the Hunter Street East shaft, which is 27 metres deep.

The lifting operations will take place at night to reduce disruption. The large components will then be moved through the city. Separately, each TBM will be carried to Newcastle on a 68-wheeler truck.

TBMs Jessie and Ruby to be dismantled and recycled

Once in Newcastle, selected parts from both machines will be sent back to Herrenknecht, the German manufacturer. Other major components, including the 90-tonne cutterheads, will be recycled.

Some TBM elements cannot be reused because the steel has reached its wear limits. Their durability cannot be restored through refurbishment, so recycling is required instead.

When the machines have been fully removed, reinforcement and lining works are set to begin inside the Hunter Street station cavern.

Across Sydney Metro North West, Western Sydney Airport, City and West, a total of 19 TBMs have been deployed. Together, they have excavated 14.7 million tonnes of earth.

The New South Wales Government says Sydney Metro West will double rail capacity between Greater Parramatta and the Sydney CBD.

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