Perth Airport link tunnelling work resumes after two-month hiatus
Updated
[West Australian transport authorities have declared the problems that saw the Forrestfield-Airport Link tunnelling ground to a halt resolved, with work resuming this morning.
The Public Transport Authority (PTA) confirmed one of the two tunnel boring machines being used to construct the $1.8 billion project restarted following a two-month hiatus.
The issues with the project began in February, when one of the two boring machines was halted after "ground disturbances" were reported on Perth Airport land.
The second machine was also halted in the subsequent weeks, as officials investigated the cause of the issues.
But, on the Forrestfield-Airport Link website, the PTA declared the problems resolved.
"The matter has been comprehensively investigated and changes made to reduce the risk of further disturbances," the website stated.
"Perth presents challenging geological conditions for tunnelling, with some elements of uncertainty to be expected in adapting the TBMs to varying ground conditions."
Second machine to restart soon
Officials said they would change the pressure in the excavation chamber when excavating within the "Ascot formation" and would also avoid weekend stoppages when tunnelling under Perth Airport infrastructure.
The second of the two tunnel boring machines will resume in the coming weeks, once the first has made more progress.
Transport Minister Rita Saffioti previously insisted the tunnelling halt would not delay the project beyond its scheduled 2020 opening, saying work had previously been ahead of schedule.
Ms Saffioti faced criticism for not initially revealing the ground disturbance issue, during a media tour of the project three days after she was told about the problem.
Once completed, the project will provide a passenger rail link between the city and both the airport and Forrestfield.
Side-by-side tunnels will run from near the existing Bayswater station to the line's terminus in Forrestfield.
Topics: perth-airport-6105, wa
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