The Sydney Metro West Line has hit a new milestone as tunnel boring machine (TBM) Betty has reached a cavern deep beneath the Westmead, completing work to excavate the first tunnel at the western end of the 24-kilometre line.
With the completion of the tunnel; the project has now reached 93% completion.
The tunnel, which runs from Sydney Olympic Park via the future Parramatta metro station, was excavated over a 24-month period. 790,000 tonnes of earth were removed during the process, and 30,000 concrete segments were installed along the way, lining the tunnel walls.
TBM Betty – named after Olympic sprint champion Betty Cuthbert – is the first to finish its tunnel at both ends of the line, with 3.5-kilometres of tunnel left to build in order to complete the 30-month tunnelling programme carried out by six TBMs.
Three TBMs now remain in operation: TBM Dorothy is 1059 metres from its final breakthrough at Westmead and TBMs Ruby and Jessie are due to reach the Hunter Street terminus in Sydney’s central business district, via Sydney Harbour, by 2026.
The new metro rail at Westmead is expected to support millions of passengers per day, integrating with nearby transport options including T1 and T5 line trains at Westmead Station, Parramatta Light Rail, the T-way and local buses.
Now its journey is complete; TBM Betty is set to be dismantled before being lifted from the station box piece by piece.
Sydney Metro West is planned to open in 2032, and will double rail capacity between Greater Parramatta and the Sydney CBD.
