Suburban Rail Loop gets four additional tunnel boring machines from one of the world's biggest tunnel boring machine manufacturers.
The Victorian government has locked in four massive tunnel boring machines to dig the twin tunnels between Glen Waverley and Box Hill for the Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) project.
Construction is happening right now in Zhengzhou, with the four machines set to ship to Melbourne and launch from Burwood next year. Two will head south toward Glen Waverley while the other pair is set to tunnel north to Box Hill, carving out the underground infrastructure that’ll transform how people move around Melbourne’s suburbs.
Suburban Rail Loop (SRL)
- What: Four tunnel boring machines for Glen Waverley to Box Hill section
- When: Machines launch from Burwood in 2026, trains running by 2035
- Supplier: China Railway Engineering Equipment Group (CREG)
- Power: 100 per cent renewable energy
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China Railway Engineering Equipment Group knows what they’re doing; they’re one of the world’s biggest tunnel boring machine manufacturers with projects running across the globe. Their machines are currently digging Beijing’s new Qinglonghu Metro station, Copenhagen’s Sydhavn Metro, Italy’s Naples-Bari High-Speed Rail and closer to home, Snowy 2.0 and Sydney’s West Harbour Tunnel Project.
These aren’t your average digging machines, we’re talking earth pressure balance beasts spanning more than 100 metres long and over seven metres in diameter. They’re specifically designed for local ground conditions and built to minimise surface disruption while they work underground.
Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) construction is ramping up with more than 3000 people already working across all six station sites. When complete, the network will slash travel times dramatically; Sandringham residents can reach Glen Waverley in just 36 minutes, saving 29 minutes compared to current public transport and 26 minutes versus driving.
Beyond transport, Suburban Rail Loop represents Australia’s largest housing project, delivering 70,000 additional homes closer to jobs, universities, health services and quality public transport connections.
All tunnel boring machines powering Suburban Rail Loop will run on 100 per cent renewable energy, in line with the project’s environmental goals.
For more information, head here.
