Following a scheduled maintenance program on both machines, TBMs Grace and Sandy were relaunched from Redcliffe Station mid-June and early-August respectively. The last leg of their underground journey will take them to a depth of 26 metres while tunnelling underneath the Swan River.
TBM Grace has already installed more than 300 rings since leaving Redcliffe and has tunnelled past the location for Cross Passage Brearley.
Before our leading ladies left they received a large number of visitors: close to 300 members of the community took the opportunity to say hello at the sold out Redcliffe Community Day event in late-July.
A splash of colour for Whatley Crescent
With the recent completion of the dive structure base slab, focus has now shifted towards the package of works around the noise wall along Whatley Crescent.
The installation of the posts and panels is finished and preparations are underway for the application of the anti-graffiti paint. This work is weather permitting and, based on the current forecast, will likely take place mid-August.
In line with the result of the recent community vote, three different colours will be applied to the Whatley Crescent facing side of the wall in a non-consistent pattern.
Meanwhile works are also due to commence on the backfilling of the southern retaining wall, which separates the cycle path from the rail reserve near the corner of Whatley Crescent and Cobden Street.
At the dive portal, where trains will enter and exit the tunnels, works on the lift shaft and emergency staircase are ongoing. This is also the location where the TBMs will be lifted out of the dive structure and loaded onto trucks once they have finished tunnelling.
New focus for Redcliffe Station works
With TBM Sandy's 130m-long trailing gantries slowly disappearing as she is building new sections of tunnel, works can continue on the station box infrastructure.
Up next is the partial construction of the station platform, which will not be finalised until tunnelling is completed. This is to allow room for the multi-service vehicles to manouvre within the box when delivering tunnel segments to the TBMs.
Already in progress is the construction of the emergency staircases at either end of the station box.
Have a sneak peak into construction life and meet some of our Redcliffe team members to find out why working on the project is so special to them.
Station entrance taking shape at Airport Central
At Airport Central Station works are ongoing on the station platform located at base level. Backfilled with 1800 cubic metres of sand the area currently looks like a giant sand pit. Next up are compaction works and installation of services, before the platform slab concrete pours can be prepared.
Above ground the steel frame for the entrance of the station has been erected. The 17m-wide structure will form the link to the Skybridge, which will connect the train station to the terminals.
Lifting of modules for the Skybridge is ongoing and more information on changes to parking and traffic in the area can be found on the Perth Airport Facebook page.
Within the station box, at concourse level, brackets and steel to support the internal cladding are currently being installed.
Forrestfield Station stepping up
At the portal end of the Forrestfield construction site and above the tunnel entries work is progressing well on the portal building structure. Following the roof construction scheduled for September, mechanical, electrical and plumbing fit-out will commence.
The roof installation at the station building is already in full swing with sheeting and gutters being affixed this week.
Following the installation of the public escalators, the 31 steps-high public staircase between the station's concourse and platform levels was craned into place earlier this month. The passenger lifts will be installed later in the year, with the 10.5m-high lift frames on either side of the staircase already in place.
First egress shaft building under construction
With all three emergency egress shafts fully excavated, the majority of work is now taking place above ground. The first of the supporting buildings has been erected at Abernethy Emergency Egress Shaft using tilt-up panels. Scheduled next is the installation of the steel structure to support the roof, before the electrical fit-out of the building can commence.
Works on the alignment's cross passages are well underway, with two of the 12 structures now complete.
At Cross Passage RAC the last lot of concrete was pumped in from ground level early-August. It was used to complete the collars, which frame the doorways between the passages and the two tunnels.
Crews are now setting up at Cross Passage Car Park C, located just east of Redcliffe Station.