Tunnel Boring Machine Launched

Steady as she goes! Our giant Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) officially began its maiden voyage this month, after a celebratory launch party and weeks of careful testing and commissioning.

The machine, named Dame Whina Cooper after the ground-breaking Kiwi wahine, began boring in earnest in late May. The historic 1.6 kilometre underground journey starts at the Mt Eden Station, dives under Spaghetti Junction before breaking through at Karangahape Station around September, and Aotea Station around the end of the year.

Link Alliance Project Manager Francois Dudouit said although the TBM can travel at a top speed of 32 metres a day, it will likely average at slower speeds depending on soil conditions - and will operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week when it’s at full capacity.

“It’s not unlike getting a new car – we have a bespoke TBM built just for the soil conditions in this part of Auckland and we needed to make absolutely sure everything is working properly,” Dudouit said. “We are not ready to ‘put the foot’ down just yet and we’ll take the first stages pretty slowly at first.”  

Dudouit said people above the TBM will feel little to no impact from the tunnel borer.

TBM mining follows a celebratory launch party (pictures below) earlier in the month, when Transport Minister Michael Wood and Auckland Mayor Phil Goff fired up the machine’s cutter head for the first time.

Minister Wood described the launch as an “exciting milestone”.

“Building infrastructure like the City Rail Link is part of our COVID-19 economic plan - this project is providing real jobs and opportunities for thousands of Aucklanders. It’ll give us a step-change in our public transport and cultivate a diverse and highly-skilled workforce,” Wood said.

Alongside CRL’s contribution to Auckland’s future, mining tradition also had a significant role at the official event.

One tradition involved breaking a bottle of champagne on the TBM to mark its official launch. Father Christopher Denham, the Dean of Auckland’s Cathedral of St Patrick and St Joseph, also blessed the TBM and the teams who will operate it – an acknowledgement to St Barbara, the patron saint of miners and others who work underground.

Now launched, the TBM has three busy jobs as its crawls below Auckland. Excavating spoil, removing spoil by conveyor belt from the tunnel, and lining the tunnel walls with concrete segments.

If you want to follow Dame Whina Cooper’s underground journey you can do so at www.digCRL.co.nz.