TBM Peggy has completed the first leg of its 5.5km to the Aerotropolis on the Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport project. TBM Eileen made the first breakthrough on the twin-bore line when it arrived at Airport Terminal station in July.
TBM Peggy has worked around the clock at an average speed of 120m per week to build the fully-lined 1.26km tunnel from Airport Business Park. It has excavated around 112,000 tonnes of rock.
The TBM will now traverse the 25m-deep station box before being relaunched to tunnel under the future Western Sydney International (Nancy Bird Walton) Airport. It is expected to arrive at the Aerotropolis Station site in 2024.
TBM Peggy is named after Peggy Kelman, an Australian aviation pioneer and adventurer, and a friend of Nancy Bird Walton, the namesake of the new international airport.
CPB Contractors and Ghella Joint Venture now has all four TBMs in the ground for the 9.8km twin tunnels. TBM Catherine and TBM Marlene are currently tunnelling the 4.3km section from Orchard Hills to St Marys
The 23km line, which will run between St Marys and Aerotropolis, will be operational when Western Sydney International Airport opens for passenger services.
