TBM components arrived in British Columbia

25 April 2022


The first shipment of parts for the TBMs for Vancouver’s Broadway subway project tunnels has arrived in British Columbia.

The TBM components left Germany on February 25 and sailed through the Panama Canal before arriving at Fraser Surrey Docks on April 15. The second and final shipment of equipment is expected to follow in the coming weeks.

The Herrenknecht TBMs will be assembled at a staging area in preparation for their launch this summer.

The two 6m diameter machines, to be named later this spring, are expected to bore approximately 18m a day, taking a year to complete the project’s 5.7km tunnels. The tunnels will be approximately 15m below ground, down to a maximum of 20m at Broadway-City Hall Station.

The TBMs will be launched separately from the Great Northern Way-Emily Carr Station and will progress to Cypress Street near the line’s terminus at Arbutus Station. The tunnels will connect all six new stations along the new line.

The Broadway Subway Project Corporation, an Acciona-Ghella joint venture, has the contract for the project’s design and construction.

The 5.7-kilometre extension to the Millennium Line is due to open in 2025.