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.