No. H049/06For release June 12, 2006
VANCOUVER — A ceremony at the future False Creek South station today marked
the start of tunnel boring construction for the Canada Line from False Creek to
the downtown core.
Russ Hiebert, MP (South Surrey-White Rock-Cloverdale), on behalf of Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities; Kevin Falcon,
British Columbia Minister of Transportation; Malcolm Brodie, TransLink Chair;
George Chow, the City of Vancouver Deputy Mayor; and Larry Berg, President & CEO
of the Vancouver International Airport Authority, area residents and businesses
helped launch the tunnel boring machine – the first of its kind in British
Columbia.
"The Government of Canada is pleased to provide funding in the amount of $450
million for this project," said Mr. Hiebert. "The Canada Line will help reduce
urban congestion and related pollution. Today's event marks a significant
milestone in the construction of this project – one that should be highlighted
and celebrated. When completed, the Canada Line will make the movement of
residents and visitors during the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics more
efficient."
"The Province's $435-million commitment is a generational investment that will
reduce congestion, improve the environment and enhance the economy," said Kevin Falcon, B.C. Minister of Transportation. "Canada Line will generate hundreds of
millions in new private sector investment and thousands of jobs in the Lower
mainland and around the province."
"This is an important moment in the Canada Line project as another significant
phase is launched. Years from now as transit passengers move safely and quickly
along this corridor, people will look at the pictures of today's event with a
great deal of pride and gratitude for all of the talent, effort and vision it
took from everyone involved to make this massive undertaking a reality," said
TransLink Chair Malcolm Brodie.
"The TBM construction of the Canada Line represents state-of-the-art tunnel
construction, the first of its kind in B.C.," said Jean-Marc Arbaud, President
and CEO of InTransitBC. "InTransitBC is proud to be bringing this kind of
technology to B.C."
"Today is a big day in continuing our commitment to link our rapid
transportation network, which will serve thousands of commuters every day
travelling between downtown Vancouver to Richmond, to the airport, and
neighbouring communities along the way," said Jane Bird, President and CEO of
Canada Line Rapid Transit Inc.
In Vancouver, the Canada Line will be underground from Waterfront Station to
64th Avenue. Seventy-five per cent of the tunnel will be built by cut-and-cover
method. The remaining section of the tunnel will be built as twin-bored tunnels
using the tunnel boring machine.
Two twin bored tunnels, each measuring 2.5 kilometres in length, will be dug to
allow the Canada Line to run in both directions, for a total of five kilometres
of tunnel. The tunnel boring machine will bore underground from the False Creek
South Station site at 2nd Avenue and 6th Avenue under False Creek to Davie
Street in downtown Vancouver, west under Davie Street, turning north under
Granville Street, and north along Granville Street to Dunsmuir Street in
downtown Vancouver. Travelling at a rate of 10 metres per day, the tunnel boring
machine is expected to complete its first pass by April 2007. The second pass is
anticipated from June 2007 to March 2008.
The Canada Line rapid transit system will run fully separated from traffic
between the transportation hub at the Waterfront Centre in Vancouver, the heart
of Richmond's civic precinct, and Vancouver International Airport. With 16
stations, two bridges, approximately 19 kilometres of tunnel and elevated
guideway, parking and bus facilities, and transit capacity equivalent to 10 road
lanes, the Canada Line will be an important new link in the regional
transportation network.
Worker and public safety is of the utmost importance and the Canada Line Project
will be built safely and in compliance with all municipal, provincial and
federal health and safety regulations.
- 30 -
Contacts:
Steve Crombie
InTransitBC
Tel: (604) 605-5997
Email: Steve.Crombie@snclavalin.com
Web: www.canadaline.ca
Linda Licari
Communications
Transport Canada, Ottawa
(613) 993-0055
Alan Dever
Canada Line Project
Tel: (604) 484-6700
Email: adever@canadaline.ca
Web: www.canadaline.ca
Mike Long
Director of Communications
B.C. Ministry of Transportation
(250) 387-7787
Natalie Sarafian
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Transport,
Infrastructure and Communities, Ottawa
(613) 991-0700
Theresa Beer
Communications Coordinator
City of Vancouver
(604) 871-6914
Ralph Eastman
Media Relations
Vancouver International Airport Authority
(604) 880-9815
Transport Canada is online at www.tc.gc.ca. Subscribe to news releases and speeches at apps.tc.gc.ca/listserv/ and keep up-to-date on the latest from Transport Canada.
This news release may be made available in alternative formats for persons with visual disabilities.
BACKGROUNDER
TUNNEL CONSTRUCTION IN VANCOUVER
In bored tunnel construction, a tunnel boring machine is lowered into a deep
shaft and launched to bore a tunnel beneath the ground. At the front of the
tunnel boring machine, a cutting face is used to tunnel or bore the ground, and
material is sent back through the tunnel and out the entry shaft.
This construction method is typically used for deep tunnels where there are
man-made or natural obstructions above the tunnel that prevent tunnel
construction from the surface. In this case, the tunnel boring machine will be
used to tunnel beneath False Creek and buildings in the downtown core (See
Figure 1).
The tunnel boring machine will bore twin 2.5-kilometre tunnels in preparation
for the Canada Line, totalling five kilometres of tunnel. Launched in June 2006,
travelling at a rate of 10 metres per day, the tunnel boring machine is expected
to complete its first pass by April 2007. The second pass is scheduled for June 2007 - March 2008*.
*Subject to change.
The depth of the tunnel varies along the alignment to get underneath False Creek
and also to clear underneath any deep building structures. In general, the depth
of the tunnel is between 10 and 30 metres, measured from the surface to the
top of the tunnel.
As the tunnel boring machine advances, pre-cast concrete segments are placed to
form the lining of the tunnel. These steel reinforced concrete lining segments
will permanently support the tunnel. Each ring has five segments plus a
keystone, 1.4 metres in arc length, making the tunnel 5.3 metres in internal
diameter. The rings are the grouted with concrete. Once the tunnel is complete
the train tracks are laid.
Approximately 20,000 concrete lining segments, pre-fabricated off-site in
Nanaimo, B.C., are needed for the two tunnels. The concrete lining segments are
built in a manufacturing plant under controlled conditions to optimize quality
and durability.
During boring, the excavated material is removed using a conveyor system that
dumps the material into rail cars. The excavated material is removed from the
tunnel on average seven or eight times per day.
Facts on boring
The tunnel boring machine used for Canada Line bored tunnel construction is
know as an earth pressure balance type of tunnel boring machine.
This will be the first time an earth pressure balance tunnel boring machine
has been used in British Columbia.
There are two major components to the tunnel boring machine, the cutting head
and the backup.
In total, the tunnel boring machine measures 86 metres in length, and 6.1 metres in diameter and weighs 440 tonnes (weight excludes backup).
Electrically powered, the tunnel boring machine is guided with a sophisticated
GPS tracking system that is accurate to within an inch.
Safety
Worker and public safety is of paramount importance and the Canada Line Project
will be built safely and in compliance with all municipal, provincial, federal
health and safety regulations.
The bored tunnel construction method is employed in transportation and utility
projects around the world. Locally, the Greater Vancouver Regional District is
currently constructing twin-bored tunnels on the North Shore as part of its
Seymour-Capilano Filtration Project.
About the Canada Line Project
The Canada Line rapid transit system will run fully separated from traffic
between the transportation hub at Waterfront Centre in Vancouver, the heart of
Richmond's civic precinct, and the Vancouver International Airport. With 16
stations, two bridges, over nine kilometres of tunnel, parking and bus
facilities, and transit capacity equivalent to 10 road lanes, the Canada Line
will be an important new link in the regional transportation network.
The Government of Canada and the Government of British Columbia, the Greater
Vancouver Transportation Authority (TransLink), and the Vancouver International
Airport Authority are funding the Canada Line, which is also supported by the
Cities of Vancouver and Richmond. The project is overseen by Canada Line Rapid
Transit Inc. (CLCO), a subsidiary of TransLink. The Canada Line is being
designed, built, operated, maintained and partially financed by InTransitBC.
June 2006
