By ashleykaren
Tunnel boring machine Peggy has broken through into the 25m deep Airport Terminal station box at the future Airport Terminal station in a significant milestone for the Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport project.
The TBM finished this first leg of its 5.5km trip to the Aerotropolis, following on from tunnel boring machine Eileen, who made her first breakthrough last month.
Peggy has worked almost the clock at an average speed of 120m per week to construct the thoroughly lined 1.26km tunnel from the Airport Business Park.
The tunnel boring machine will now traverse the station box before being relaunched to tunnel beneath the future Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport, with the machine envisioned to reach the Aerotropolis metro station site in 2024.
Four tunnel boring machines will construct the 9.8km long twin tunnels for the Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport railway line between St Marys and the Aerotropolis.
The Eileen machine is boring the metro tunnel alongside Peggy from Airport Business Park to the Aerotropolis. Tunnel boring machines Catherine and Marlene have started their 4.3km journey from Orchard Hills to St Marys.
A JV between CPB Contractors and Ghella was granted the $1.8bn Station Boxes and Tunnelling contract in 2021 to provide 9.8km of twin metro tunnels, five station boxes, and two services facilities shafts for the Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport project.
As reported, the line will be working once Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport commences for passenger services in 2026, with a scheduled travel time of 15 minutes from St Marys metro station to the Airport Terminal Station and an additional five minutes to the Aerotropolis Station.
