The Cross River Rail will connect the northern and southern rail networks in Brisbane’s CBD via a 10.2 km line from Dutton Park to Bowen Hills, with 5.9 km of the alignment being tunnelled under Brisbane River.

The two TBMs are currently being built at Herrenknecht’s northside facility where the first machine is undergoing final checks before it will be dissembled and transported to Cross River Rail’s Woolloongabba site.

The second TBM is expected to arrive onsite by early 2021, at which point crews will launch both machines to begin tunnelling by the middle of the year.

The TBMs are both 164 m long, with cutterheads weighing 106 t and measuring 7.2 m in diameter.

While tunnelling, the TBMs will also install 4.2 t precast concrete segments to line the tunnel and will work at a rate of 20-30 m per day.

The Cross River Rail project will deliver four new underground stations at Boggo Road, Woolloongabba, Albert Street and Roma Street, as well as upgrades to eight above ground stations at Salisbury, Rocklea, Moorooka, Yeerongpilly, Yeronga, Fairfield, Dutton Park and Exhibition.

Three new stations on the Gold Coast line at Pimpama, Helensvale North and Merrimac will also be constructed.

The project is expected to be operational in 2024.

For more information visit the Cross River Rail website.