Carried by ship from Valencia, Spain, to Mexico, the EPBM has a 11.5m diameter and was manufactured by Herrenknecht Ibérica SA. Trucking the parts to Guadalajara is expected to take about 12 days. Following assembly, it’s estimated that testing the TBM could start in September.

Guadalajara-based media reported parts of the TBM underwent rehabilitation in Toledo, Spain, having previously been employed on a TBM drive in Barcelona for a high speed rail tunnel.

The 21km line will have five underground stations and a tunnel of 5.3km, up to 30m below ground. A consortium lead by Spanish company Sacyr is building the line.