Tunnel borers smash through to first Metro West station at Five Dock: Watch video

Tunnel-boring machines have secretly smashed through rock into a proposed underground station on the Metro West line, marking a major milestone for the multibillion-dollar transport project. WATCH THE VIDEO.

Tunnel-boring machines Daphne and Beatrice have secretly smashed through rock into a proposed underground station on the Metro West line, marking a major milestone for the multibillion-dollar transport project.

After tunnelling through 4.3km section between The Bays and Five Dock over the past seven months at a rate of 20m a day, the machines broke through the wall of the station cavity a fortnight ago – Daphne first, with Beatrice following two minutes later.

Five Dock station is one of 10 mooted stations on the 24km line between Parramatta to the Sydney CBD, including Rosehill. As an engineering feat, the double breakthrough at Five Dock has put Metro West on the global map as the first project in the southern hemisphere to achieve a double tunnel boring-machine breakthrough.

The borers will now continue the excavation of twin tunnels west to the proposed Burwood North station 2km away, where they are due to break early next year.

The machines will then proceed to Sydney Olympic Park, where they will come face-to-face will two other borers tunnelling from Westmead.

Two tunnel boring machines named Beatrice and Daphne have broken through solid rock to arrive at the Five Dock Metro Station site, putting Sydney Metro West on the map as the first project in the southern hemisphere to achieve a double tunnel boring machines breakthrough.

Inside the tunnel (RTO2) behind TBM Beatrice as it makes its way to Sydney Olympic Park after leaving the Bays station site.

Another two machines will be launched next year to complete the section between The Bays and under the harbour to Pyrmont and Hunter St.

Premier Chris Minns – who is counting on the stations driving desperately needed housing development – said the milestone was a step towards addressing the supply shortage. The announcement the government will explore a station at Rosehill station and the subsequent development of Rosehill racecourse will alone contribute more than 25,000 homes.

“This breakthrough at Five Dock is an important milestone as we progress towards the completion of this project and the creation of thousands of new homes,” Mr Minns said.

“We’re building this major public transport project at the same time as we’re turbocharging the creation of new housing in our state. We know more supply is the key to making housing more affordable.”

Transport Minister Jo Haylen said the project would transform travel in Sydney’s west.

Borer Daphne broke through first, followed closely by Beatrice. Both were named after women to bring luck to the workers who look to St Barbara for protection.

The two machines have so far excavated 135 Olympic swimming pools’ worth of material along the route. Sydney Metro West will double the rail capacity between Sydney’s two biggest CBDs once passenger services start in 2030.

The tunnel borers – each 165m long and 7m in diameter – require a team of 15 workers.

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