Dec 20, 2013 - 5 years ago

By Supply Post

The massive Evergreen Line tunnel boring machine is on its way by rail and truck to Metro Vancouver from the manufacturer in Ontario.

“This milestone is another exciting step towards delivering world-class transit infrastructure to the Lower Mainland,” said the Honourable James Moore, Minister Responsible for British Columbia and Member of Parliament for Port Moody - Westwood - Port Coquitlam. “Our government is committed to projects like the Evergreen Line that not only create jobs, but shorten commutes, reduce pollution and make our communities more accessible to visitors and residents alike.”

The tunnel boring machine will build the twokilometre tunnel that will run west of Barnet Highway in Port Moody to south of Kemsley Avenue in Coquitlam. Bored tunnel construction means there is no disruption to the surface above except at the tunnel entry and exit points.

“The many benefits of the Evergreen Line for British Columbians include jobs and new transportation choices for families and communities,” said Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Todd Stone. “A comprehensive community relations program is in place, and the public will continue to be informed of traffic changes and construction activities until completion of the line in the summer of 2016.”

“TransLink is very excited to see construction of the Evergreen Line progressing,” said Ian Jarvis, TransLink’s Chief Executive Officer. “Transit use in Metro Vancouver continues to surpass yearly records. The Evergreen Line SkyTrain extension will provide a new and efficient service to improve community connections and meet the transportation needs of our growing region.”

Due to its size and weight, the tunnel boring machine is being shipped in pieces from Ontario and will be assembled at a specially built launch site on the west side of the Barnet Highway in Port Moody. Assembly will take a couple of months, with tunnel construction expected to start in February 2014. The entire tunnel boring machine is 85 metres long and 10 metres in diameter. The first piece of the machine, called the cutter head, weighs 130 tonnes alone.

The cutter head rotates to break up the ground and a conveyor system moves the spoils to the back of the machine for disposal. The machine also inserts the concrete tunnel ring sections as it moves, reinforcing the structure. Moving an average of eight metres a day, it will take approximately a year to build the two-kilometre tunnel.

Construction of the Evergreen Line will create 8,000 jobs and it is the largest transit project underway in Metro Vancouver today. Once the Evergreen Line opens in summer 2016, Metro Vancouver’s Sky- Train system will become the longest rapid transit system in Canada.

The Evergreen Line will link Burnaby, Port Moody and Coquitlam and be fully integrated into the existing system, connecting directly onto the Millennium Line at Lougheed Town Centre Station. It will carry 70,000 passengers and remove 40,000 cars off the road every day by 2021.

Funding for the Evergreen Line is a partnership between the Government of Canada, the Government of British Columbia and TransLink.

The estimated project cost is $1.43 billion, with the Government of Canada contributing up to $424 million ($350 million from the Building Canada Fund, $67 million from the Public Transit Capital Trust Fund, and $7 million from the P3 Fund), the Government of B.C. contributing $586 million, and other partners contributing $21 million. TransLink is contributing the remaining $400 million and will operate the system when it opens.