Ghella is celebrating a significant historical milestone this week, marking a decade since its Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) Annabell commenced service on its first infrastructure project in Australia.
TBM Annabell was first deployed on excavation works for Brisbane’s Legacy Way road tunnels in 2012 – which also marked Ghella’s first engagement on an Australian project, as part of a joint venture that also included Acciona and BMD.
At the time, TBM Annabell broke a world record (amongst TBMs with a diameter range between 11.01m and 13m), excavating just under 50m in a single day and 787.8m in one month. The Legacy Way project went on to win the prize for Major Tunnelling Project of the Year (over $500 million) at the International Tunnelling Awards held in London in 2013.
Over the past decade, Ghella has built on these successful foundations through involvement in several nationally-significant transport projects. These include the Sydney Metro City & South West project (which entailed the first ever rail tunnels built under Sydney Harbour), Cross River Rail in Brisbane, the M6 Stage 1 project in Sydney and Sydney Metro Western Sydney Airport.