Robbins TBM sets new world records

3 August 2021


TBM-maker Robbins has announced that one of its machines – a 13.77m-diameter Crossover XRE TBM – has set new world records for best day, week and month performances in the 13-14m-diameter range.

The ground-breaking record took place during the excavation of the Esme-Salihli railway tunnel, Turkey, where the machine broke best day, week and month records: in June it achieved 28.5m in one day, 133.2m in a week, and 455.4m in one month, thereby surpassing all previous performance rates by machines of this diameter.

The XRE TBM – which is operated by project contractor Kolin Construction – was launched at the end of March 2021 on a 3.05km bore as part of the Ankara-Izmir High Speed Railway Project for Turkish State Railways. So far, the machine has encountered complex and weak ground, mainly a mix of mudstone with gneiss, in which it performed well, aided by its powerful torque and thrust.

Other features which helped the XRE TBM get through the challenging conditions include the facility of having both screw conveyor and belt conveyor remain in place, thereby allowing swift conversion between modes, and operation in full EPB and hard-rock modes.

Prior to the project, the TBM had been in storage for seven years but was recently upgraded which, added Robbins, proved the durability of its machines.