SRL East TBMs on the way: EPB design and ground control notes for engineers
Reviewed by Joe Ashwell
First reported on Tunnelling Journal – News
30 Second Briefing
Four Earth Pressure Balance TBMs from China Railway Engineering Group, each over 100m long and just over 7m in diameter, are being procured for the northern twin tunnels of Melbourne’s Suburban Rail Loop East, delivered by Webuild’s Terra Verde JV. All four machines, powered by 100% renewable electricity, will launch from a 19m-deep box at Burwood, driving nearly 10km of parallel tunnels between Box Hill and Glen Waverley with 39 cross passages, two station boxes and an intervention/ventilation shaft. EPB configuration tailored to the corridor’s mixed geology signals complex ground control and settlement management requirements for designers and contractors.
Technical Brief
- Webuild leads the Terra Verde JV with a 33.5% stake, coordinating design–construct interfaces and TBM logistics.
- JV partners GS E&C (South Korea) and Bouygues Construction Australia provide additional tunnelling and underground works capability.
- Contract scope includes nearly 10 km of twin running tunnels between future Box Hill and Glen Waverley stations.
- Works package also covers 39 cross passages, driving detailed spacing, fire-life-safety and egress design.
- Two full station boxes plus two TBM launch sites require major temporary support and groundwater management.
- A single intervention and ventilation shaft will concentrate permanent ventilation plant and emergency access constraints.
- First TBM drives south to Glen Waverley next year, with northbound drives commencing later, staging spoil and segment supply.
- Passenger services targeted from 2035 impose tight float on tunnelling, fit-out and systems integration programmes.
Our Take
Among the 138 Infrastructure stories in our database, very few feature 100% renewable power for TBM operations, so SRL East’s fully renewable-powered drives will be a reference point for future Australian tunnelling tenders that include embodied-carbon scoring.
The 10 km of twin tunnels with 39 cross passages between Box Hill and Glen Waverley implies a relatively tight cross-passage spacing, which typically improves emergency egress and resilience but adds complexity to ground treatment and interface management in Melbourne’s variable geology.
Webuild’s 33.5% stake in the Terra Verde Joint Venture reinforces its positioning in large Australian underground works, and may give it an edge in bidding for later Suburban Rail Loop packages as the client gains confidence with the JV’s TBM performance and interface control at sites like Burwood.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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