The equal largest shipment of Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) parts has arrived in Adelaide and will be transferred in several stages over the coming days.
This shipment contained the remaining components for the first TBM, including the main drive which weighs approximately 370 tonnes, making it the heaviest individual component that will be delivered.
The latest load also included the cutterhead and tailskin for the second TBM.
The components will be transported to the Project's Southern Precinct site in Clovelly Park, where they will be assembled and commissioned with tunnelling to begin in the second half of 2026.
Transportation of the largest pieces will require overnight progressive road closures along South Road to limit traffic disruptions, with the next of these carefully planned heavy-haulage operations scheduled for tomorrow night.
The transportation of the centrepiece of the cutterhead for the second TBM will use a specialised truck and trailer combination and require overnight rolling road closures, in the same manner as the first transportation last month.
The thrust frame and main drive will both require smaller scale night operations, including police escort, to arrive at the Southern Precinct.
The third TBM, which will launch from the Central North Precinct at Richmond to construct the twin 2.2km Northern Tunnels, is in the final stages of Factory Acceptance Testing in China.
Once given the green light, the third TBM will be dismantled and packed in the factory prior to being shipped to Adelaide.
The three TBMs being used on the T2D Project have been purchased from world-leading tunnelling manufacturer Herrenknecht. The T2D Project will be the only major road tunnel project in Australia to utilise three large diameter TBMs.
The procurement of three TBMs means both the Northern and Southern Tunnels can be constructed concurrently.
South Australians have shown their passion for the $15.4 billion non-stop South Road project, with more than 2,000 submissions to help name the three TBMs.
In line with tunnelling tradition dating back to the 1500s, the T2D TBMs will be named after women, with a particular focus on inspiring figures who capture the spirit of SA and local heroes who have made a difference to our state.
A panel will now assess the submissions that meet the criteria and shortlist a group of names for the community to vote on. More details about voting will be available soon.
While the South Australian public's sense of humour was on display with suggestions like Julia Drillard, Diggy Azalea and The Drilltop Hoods, those types of names will not be considered by the panel.
The successful names honouring trailblazing South Australian women will be announced before tunnelling begins in the second half of next year.
As put by Emily Bourke
There's a real sense of momentum with the arrival of the equal largest shipment of TBM parts.
The pieces will be transferred to the southern site over the coming days, with tunnelling on the $15.4 billion non-stop South Road project to begin in the second half of next year.
These Tunnel Boring Machines, which are the largest pieces of construction machinery in South Australian history, belong to all of us, and the community can still help name them.
I'd like to thank everyone who has contributed so far, submitting names for these historic pieces of machinery that will deliver a non-stop South Road.
Once a group of names has been shortlisted, the community will be called on once again – this time to vote on the names they believe should take their place in South Australia's history.
