No. H 059/07
For release April 7, 2007
VANCOUVER -- Canada Line's tunnel boring machine (TBM) achieved a milestone
today when it broke through the ground north of Pender Street at Granville, the
future site of the Canada Line Waterfront Station.
"This is an important breakthrough for us all," said Premier Gordon Campbell.
"The city, the region and the province will all benefit. It shows the power of
partnership in opening the Pacific Gateway while we reduce greenhouse gas
emissions and stimulate economic growth. Compact and healthy urban development
helps make public transit work and it's estimated that this one project will
reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 14,000 tons by 2020."
The arrival of the TBM into the Waterfront Station excavation pit marks the
completion of the first of two bored tunnels beneath downtown Vancouver. The
Honourable Gordon Campbell, Premier of British Columbia, presented a certificate
recognizing no lost-time injuries to Andrea Ciamei, Project Manager for the
SLCP-SELI Joint Venture, the company constructing the bored tunnels.
"This tunnel breakthrough means we are one step closer to connecting Greater Vancouver's
main business districts, which will support the growth and continued
prosperity of the region," said Member of Parliament for Abbotsford, Ed Fast, on
behalf of the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure
and Communities. "Canada's New Government is proud to be involved in Canada's
largest transportation infrastructure project, which will contribute to a
healthy environment within the Greater Vancouver area."
"Like the launch of the TBM from its starting place at Olympic Village Station*
last June, the completion of the first tunnel is a milestone for the
construction project," said TransLink chair Malcolm Brodie. "Looking forward,
the Canada Line will ensure a more convenient and sustainable transportation
option for people in the important north-south corridor that connects Vancouver,
Richmond and Vancouver International Airport."
"The completion of this tunnel marks another milestone in a project that will
change the face of transportation in the region, and provide an efficient and
sustainable transportation option for airport employees and passengers. The
Canada Line will add to the status of YVR as being one of the world's top
airports," added Airport Authority president and chief executive officer, Larry Berg.
The TBM will now be disassembled and transported back to the 2nd Avenue worksite
near False Creek to start the second tunnel, which will be completed in the
spring of 2008.
The first tunnel is 2.5 kilometres long and has taken 10 months to complete.
Approximately 10,000 pre-fabricated concrete lining segments have been used to make the tunnel
walls. The tunnel is 5.3 metres in internal diameter and varies in depth between
10 and 30 metres.
About the Canada Line
The Canada Line rapid transit system will run fully separate from traffic
between the transportation hub at Waterfront Centre in Vancouver, the heart of
Richmond's civic precinct, and Vancouver International Airport. With 16
stations, two bridges, over 9 km 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 governments of Canada and 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 Line is being designed, built,
operated, maintained and partially financed by InTransitBC.
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For more information:
Canada Line website: www.canadaline.ca (in English only)
Canada Line Overview: www.canadaline.ca/aboutOverview.asp
Provincial Government: www.gov.bc.ca
Contacts:
Steve Crombie
Vice-President, Public Affairs
InTransitBC
604-605-5997
604-209-0025 Cell
Alan Dever
Director, Communications
Canada Line
604-484-6736
778-233-6090 Cellp
Natalie Sarafian
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Transport,
Infrastructure and Communities, Ottawa
613-991-0700
Mike Long
Communications Director
Ministry of Transportation
250-387-7787
Ken Hardie
Greater Vancouver
Transportation Authority
604-453-4606
Vancouver International Airport Authority
Media Relations Line
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.
* Use of "Olympic Village" as a Station name is subject to an acceptable
license agreement being concluded between the Vancouver Organizing Committee for
the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and TransLink and the approval of
such license by the International Olympic Committee.
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
and travelling at a rate of 10 metres per day, the tunnel boring machine
completed its first pass in 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 then 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
known as an earth pressure balance type of tunnel boring machine.
This is 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 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 and
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
Richmonds 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 governments of Canada and 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.
April 2007
