By Lynda Myer
In order to linking the 24km Sydney Metro West line to a new stabling and maintenance facility at Clyde, two of three roadheaders have commenced digging tunnels.
The launching site of these roadheaders, which are 120-tonne, 4.8m-high and 4.5m-wide, were temporary access shaft at Clyde, around 28m beneath the surface.
Using a 750-tonne mobile crane, each roadheader lowered into the shaft in pieces, while the heaviest load weighing just over 92-tonnes. It took two days to assemble each machine.
Considering that excavating the tunnels and two junction caverns will allow trains to move from the underground railway tunnels to be stabled and undergo routine maintenance, the final roadheader is also due to be assembled to help the digging process.
The estimated time duration for the roadheaders to excavate the tunnels and junction caverns is almost 13 months.
As Australia’s biggest public transport project, Sydney Metro is creating a network of four metro lines, 46 stations and 113km of new metro rail. It comprises three projects: City & Southwest; West; and Western Sydney Airport.
