TBMs for Suburban Rail Loop East on track to arrive next year

Tunnelling works on Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) East are on track to begin in 2026 with the first four tunnel boring machines (TBMs) set to begin arriving on site next year. 

Global manufacturer Herrenknecht has been chosen as the preferred supplier for the TBMs that will drill the 16-kilometre twin tunnels between Cheltenham and Glen Waverley. 

Meanwhile, two of the TBMs will be transported to Victoria and remanufactured after helping build Sydney Metro in New South Wales. By doing this, SRL’s overall carbon footprint will be significantly reduced. All four TBMs will also be operated using 100 per cent renewable energy. 

“We can’t afford not to build the Suburban Rail Loop and we’re getting on with building a project that will transform Victoria,” Premier Jacinta Allan said. 

“We are getting on and delivering this city shaping project, which will deliver more jobs and better transport connections,” Member for Box Hill Paul Hamer said. 

Once assembled, each TBM will measure 7.24 metres in diameter and will be between 120 and 150 metres long. All four TBMs will be launched from Clarinda, with two drilling south to Cheltenham and the other two drilling north to Glen Waverley. 

Two types of TBMs are going to be used to dig the twin tunnels. The northern section will utilise slurry machines while the southern section will use two convertible machines. The convertible TBMs will turn from slurry to earth pressure balance machines when working through softer ground in Cheltenham. 

There will be eight crews operating the TBMs and in a world first, SRL East will be seeing an all-women tunnelling crew – with over 650 women already applied for selection. Expressions of Interest (EOIs) for the all-women crew will close on 8 October 2024. 

Works are powering ahead on all six SRL East station sites – including the TBM launch site at Burwood – as well as the train stabling facility in Heatherton. 

“The Suburban Rail Loop will reshape how we grow – and will deliver 70,000 more homes above and around the six new stations,” Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny said. 

“As Melbourne’s population continues to grow, the Suburban Rail Loop will connect people from Glen Waverley to jobs, healthcare and education in a safer and more efficient way,” Member for Glen Waverley John Mullahy said. 

“The Suburban Rail Loop will soon connect Deakin and Monash universities to a train service for the very first time,” Member for Ashwood Matt Fregon said. 

Suburban Rail Loop map (source: Victoria's Big Build)

SRL East is estimated to create 8,000 jobs during its construction, with more than 1,400 people already working on the project. 

The overall Suburban Rail Loop will deliver a 90-kilometre orbital rail line that will provide a direct link to Melbourne Airport, helping relieve congestion on roads and other transport networks while connecting people to key destinations across the city. 

SRL is being built in four sections: 

• SRL East – Cheltenham to Box Hill 

• SRL North – Box Hill to Melbourne Airport 

• SRL Airport – Melbourne Airport to Sunshine (also known as Melbourne Airport Rail) 

• SRL West – Sunshine to Werribee 

Construction of SRL East commenced in 2022 and this section is expected to begin taking passengers in 2035. 

The delivery of SRL East is backed by an $11.8 billion investment from the Victorian Government and $2.2 billion from the Australian Government. 

Earlier this year, the preferred bidder for the second tunnelling contract was announced. Negotiations are now underway and the contract is expected to be officially awarded soon. The first tunnelling contract was awarded in late 2023.

Source: Premier of Victoria – Media Centre; Victoria’s Big Build – Suburban Rail Loop (1, 2, 3, 4); Roads & Infrastructure Australia; Infrastructure Magazine