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| A view of the launch shaft. Image from LinkedIn. Thanks to Yekai for the heads up. |
Have you ever wondered what the tunneling site for a large diameter bored tunnel looks like? Are there any appreciable differences from the tunneling of a regular twin bored tunnel? We've come across a few images online of the launch shaft for contract CR110 that allow us to see what these look like.
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| A view of the front of the TBM. Source: Herrenknecht |
Recently, German tunnel boring machine (TBM) manufacturer - Herrenknecht - uploaded several images of the machine numbered S-1365 onto its website. The TBM will be used for contract CR202 to construct the large diameter single bore tunnel through the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, connecting Cross Island Line (CRL)'s phases 1 and 2. The contract, won by a joint venture between Obayashi & Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Co, was the first of several CRL2 contracts to be awarded.
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| 4 November 2024 - A photo of the visiting delegation in front of the TBM's cutterhead. Source: Facebook |
Contract P103 has reached another milestone with the assembly of tunnel boring machine (TBM)'s cutterhead. Various parts of the machine's shield have already been lowered into the launch shaft which is located outside Pasir Ris camp. Some further assembly is still required before the machine will be launched for its first 3.4km drive towards Punggol station, where it is expected to arrive in mid-2026.
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| 27 July 2024 - A view of the front of the training centre with the project site behind the white noise barriers. |
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) launched visits to the Cross Island Line (CRL)'s contract CR202 Biodiversity Training Centre (BTC) on 16th July 2024. The team subsequently made a visit to the BTC where one could learn a bit more about the contract and the special training that workers undergo before being deployed to the project. The contract for the construction of the large diameter single bore tunnel involves tunneling through the Central Catchment Nature Reserve (CCNR), an environmentally sensitive section of the country where wildlife thrives. In view of this, additional training is required to allow workers at the site to pick up knowledge on practices to minimise impact on the environment, animals and plants near the work site.
If you're interested to visit the BTC, you can sign up here: https://go.gov.sg/crl-btc
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| 13 March 2024 - A photo of the Minister of Transport, Mr. Chee Hong Tat, with LTA's senior management as the ceremony for the launch of TBM Izanami. Source: CREG |
Thus far, the Cross Island Line (CRL)'s worksite have all been about creating big holes in the ground. It's been rather similar across the different sites - hardly the interesting stuff of the Jurong Region Line (JRL) where you can see the viaducts coming nearer and nearer to you with each visit. This time, though, we're in for a different kind of update on the CRL. Hopefully one that would be of more interest. Word has been rather mum when it comes to tunneling work along the line. Has it begun yet? Has it not? Not a peep from client Land Transport Authority (LTA). But we've come across some photos of late that suggest, perhaps, maybe, tunneling works might have begun quietly over at Changi.
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| 16 December 2022 - A view of the site office. |
Contract CR110 is for the construction of a large diameter bored tunnel from Paya Lebar Air Base (PLAB) to Defu station. The launch shaft for the large diameter tunnel boring machine (TBM) will be located near a row of shophouses along Tampines Road. Work has been going on here for some time with heavy machinery progressively being brought on site. A hydrofraise machine was also recently seen here, awaiting deployment for the construction of diaphragm walls.
