Sydney Metro West is nearing completion of preparations to launch a new tunnel boring machine (TBM) to create the city’s second under-harbour railway line.
Jessie, the first mixed shield (slurry) TBM to be used on the Metro West system, is set to launch from The Bays in the coming weeks, and will carve out a 2.3km tunnel toward Hunter Street in the CBD, doubling rail capacity between the city’s two central districts.
The fifth TBM to operate on the Metro West system, an additional final Boring Machine is planned to depart from The Bays toward the end of 2024, with the projects following Sydney Metro’s ongoing tunnelling efforts to connect Greater Parramatta to the Sydney CBD.
Christened Jessie, the 1,100-tonne TBM has been named after Jessie Street, an Australian activist, feminist and devoted campaigner for women’s rights.
