Latest news with #tunnelling
Daily Mail
10-07-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
March of the super-ants - Colonies of up to 5 million have been swarming all over Europe. Now they're in Britain and, as the heatwave reaches a peak, arriving in ever larger numbers: DAVID LEAFE
Tunnelling with the fervour of an invading army, the millions of insects displace so much earth that pavements above them subside, walls collapse and even tombstones begin to topple. Elsewhere they turn their attention to electrical cables, chomping through them – causing phone networks to go down and lights to flicker before power fails altogether.
ABC News
23-06-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Digging at Parramatta's Metro West restarts after halt due to concerns it could impact telco building
Digging of Parramatta's Metro West project has resumed after it was stopped over concerns it was getting too close under the Telstra Exchange building. It has been two years since Sydney Metro began excavating twin 9-kilometre long tunnels linking Parramatta to the Sydney CBD. The lines are a part of the state government's 24-kilometre Metro West project, slated for completion in 2032. According to Sydney Metro, Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) have already completed 80 per cent of the work. In response to reports of concerns the Telstra building's foundations would be damaged by the machines, Sydney Metro said it was aware "of matters associated with the Telstra Building at 213 Church Street" before the contract was awarded. The spokesperson said that both companies involved, Gamuda Australia and Laing 'O Rourke Consortium, knew of the matters before they began digging. In a statement on Monday, Sydney Metro said it had worked with the telecommunications giant to "coordinate geotechnical investigations" to "verify ground conditions, foundations and pile depth of the building". Premier Chris Minns said that tunnelling was set to resume in the "next few days", with Sydney Metro confirming digging recommenced on Monday morning. A spokesperson for Telstra said they were liaising with the state government and Sydney Metro to "ensure our infrastructure isn't affected by the new Metro West station". Mr Minns and Sydney Metro said the pause would have no impact on the $25.3 billion budget for the site or the predicted completion date. "The engineering concerns about that Parramatta intersection for the Telstra exchange was a known commodity when it came to this project," the premier said. Sydney Metro said due to the mix of "high rise commercial and retail buildings alongside heritage listed properties" in Parramatta's CBD, design and construction methods had been reviewed throughout the project to ensure tunnels were constructed safely and infrastructure protected. "Geotechnical results for 213 Church Street have provided input into the final metro tunnel design and alignment to mitigate any risks to the buildings above." When asked by the ABC about how long the tunnels had been paused, Sydney Metro did not give an exact time frame. "This is a normal part of safely and responsibly excavating tunnels," it said. Opposition leader Mark Speakman said the government needs to be transparent, and that any expert who approved the tunnelling needs to be "held to account." "They need to explain what they did, when they did it, why they did and the government needs to come clean on what the time and cost implications are of this," Mr Speakman said. The Metro West Project was announced in 2016 by former Liberal premier Mike Baird.
CTV News
09-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
Metrolinx seeks help to name 2 of its massive Ontario Line tunnel digging machines
The province's transportation agency is inviting the public to name two of its 'titans of tunnelling' that will be used to construct the future Ontario Line. Metrolinx is now accepting names for two of its giant tunnel boring machines (TBMs), which will be used for twin 16-metre-deep and six-kilometre-long tunnels in the southern portion of the subway project from Exhibition Station to the Don River. People are being urged to consider local landmarks and history, famous individuals and places as well as the unique aspects of the communities these machines will travel through when coming up with a name. Submissions can also include pairs of related names, Metrolinx said. Once the contest comes to a close on June 23, community members will be invited to vote on their top choices. The winners of the contest will be credited and will have the chance to be part of a photo-op with the massive TBMs at the tunnel launch shaft near Exhibition Place. Metrolinx first broke ground on the project there in November 2024. Ontario Line tunnel launch shaft site Site of the Ontario Line tunnel launch shaft under construction east of Exhibition Station. (Metrolinx photo) The first pair of TBMs recently arrived in Toronto after being assembled, tested, and disassembled in Schwanau, Germany. Two other TBMs are set to arrive here this fall. In October 2021, a naming contest was launched for the Scarborough Subway Extension's tunnel boring machine as well as two TBMs that were used to dig the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension's twin tunnels. After receiving hundreds of submissions and following months of voting, Diggy Scardust was selected for the Scarborough Subway Extension's TBM, while the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension's TBMs were named Rexy and Renny.
ABC News
23-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Union considering legal action over claims staff locked down during Snowy 2.0 strike
The Australian Workers Union is threatening legal action over the alleged treatment by Snowy 2.0 contractors of striking tunnel workers. More than 1,000 workers walked off the job on the multi-billion dollar pumped hydro energy project on Wednesday in a bid to push for pay similar to their employer WeBuild's workers on the North East Link Tunnels in Melbourne. The union's organiser Darren Cameron met with workers at Snowy Mountains Airport, outside Cooma, on Thursday where he alleged the union had been unable to meet with some members during the strike. "To add insult to injury, the project put out a directive that nobody could leave the project or enter the project," Mr Cameron said. WeBuild and Snowy Hydro have been contacted for comment. Mr Cameron said workers, like their emplyer, want the $12 billion project finished after it was plagued by tunnelling delays in recent years due to what Snowy Hydro called a challenging geological fault zone. Last year, the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure approved an application by Snowy Hydro to use a fourth tunnel boring machine which is set to begin excavating by the end of the year. Mr Cameron said further strike action will go ahead next week if the workers' demands are not met. "The same company is doing exactly the same kind of tunnelling work in Melbourne for 12 per cent more pay," he said. "The conditions on this project are arduous. "These people should be the highest paid tunnellers in Australia, not the lowest, which is the current situation. "We are aiming to change that." He said the pay issue will go before the Fair Work Commission on Tuesday and he hopes it will be resolved before further industrial action next week. The CFMEU's state organiser for the union's Construction and General Branch, Mark Cross, was also in Cooma on Thursday and said the unions have come together to make sure workers are being taken care of following the implosion of a ventilation fan in February. He said safety concerns were impacting the mental health of workers and their families. "The isolation factor of living in a remote camp means communications are not the greatest in terms of being able to reach out to their friends and families," he said. "It is impacting these guys." Electrical Trades Union organiser Jarred Pearce said he had hope the issue of pay parity would be dealt with by the employer. "We are trying to get the right outcome for both wages and safety."
