A tunnel boring machine is being shipped to Adelaide to be used on the T2D project
The South Australian government has announced the first of three tunnel boring machines set to work on the Torrens to Darlington (T2D) project has begun its journey to Adelaide.
The T2D Project involves constructing two separate tunnels – the Southern Tunnels and the Northern Tunnels, which will be connected by an open motorway.
The first TBM received the green light to be shipped to South Australia, following successful factory acceptance testing in China.
Its components – manufactured in Germany and China – have been rigorously tested to ensure all critical functions, including the cutterhead, drive motors, and thrust cylinders meet technical and operational specifications.
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Once in Adelaide, the TBM will be assembled and commissioned at the T2D Project’s Southern Precinct in Clovelly Park.
It’s one of two TBMs that will be launched from the Southern Precinct to construct the 4.5km Southern Tunnels, which will run between the open motorway at Darlington to just south of Anzac Highway in Glandore.
A third TBM will launch from the Central North Precinct at Richmond to construct the twin 2.2km Northern Tunnels, which will run between James Congdon Drive and the existing open motorway south of Grange Road.
“Stretching approximately 100m in length and 15m in diameter, these enormous machines are the biggest pieces of construction equipment ever used in SA,” SA infrastructure minister Emily Bourke says.
“This is a pivotal step in the largest infrastructure project in our state’s history and in delivering a non-stop South Road.”
Excavation by the TBMs of the Southern Tunnels is planned to begin in the second half of 2026.