Construction work has begun on the new Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) as preparations get underway for a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) launch site in Clarinda, Melbourne.
The machines are set to arrive on site later this year, with excavation expected to begin on the SRL’s East tunnels soon after.
Excavation between Cheltenham and Glen Waverley will be handled by consortium Suburban Connect, with the excavation of tunnels north of Glen Waverley toward Box Hill set to be handled by Terra Verde.
In total, four TBMs are planned to launch from the site in Clarinda, with two travelling towards Glen Waverley and two travelling towards Cheltenham.
Each TBM is expected to take roughly three months to assemble, and will begin its journey via ‘flying launches’, which allows tunnelling to begin whilst the machine continues to be built from behind. Projections predict a travelled distance of up to 90m per week for each bore.
SRL East trains are currently scheduled to begin operation in 2035, with the project set to introduce up to 8000 direct jobs in the ensuing years
