Broadway Subway - Millennium Line Extension to Arbutus | U/C - Page 108

Lexus · #**2141** Posted **May 27, 2023, 2:18 AM**

2023, May 26

BC GOV
Tunnel Boring Machine Phyllis Arrives at Broadway-City Hall Station on May 26, 2023.

Tunnel Boring Machine Phyllis Arrives at Broadway-City Hall Station by B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, on Flickr

Lexus · #**2142** Posted **May 27, 2023, 2:19 AM**

Sorry for the duplicate...

Lexus · #**2143** Posted **May 27, 2023, 2:20 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hooknose

I just read the DH article on Phyllis.

The article also says, "Elsie, the first tunnel-boring machine, achieved the same milestone on April 14, 2023, and is now well on her way towards the mid-way point of the five-km-long underground segment, with her next breakthrough being the pit of Oak-VGH Station at Laurel Street. Elsie is building the eastbound tunnel."

Has Elsie left Cambie Street and nobody noticed???

It 100% hasn't yet. they need to do more work with the platform itself...

Hooknose · #**2144** Posted **May 27, 2023, 11:16 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lexus

It 100% hasn't yet. they need to do more work with the platform itself...

So ... the good folks at Translink have two TBMs in the Cambie station, just "hanging around, shooting the breeze"???

And all that for lack of a floor???

Okay, enough snarky observation from my side. I am sure the Translink people are doing their best.

Is there any kind of an ETD (estimated time of departure) for Elsie.

thanks

Changing City · #**2145** Posted **May 27, 2023, 3:00 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hooknose

So ... the good folks at Translink have two TBMs in the Cambie station, just "hanging around, shooting the breeze"???

And all that for lack of a floor???

Okay, enough snarky observation from my side. I am sure the Translink people are doing their best.

Is there any kind of an ETD (estimated time of departure) for Elsie.

thanks

It's the Ministry of Transportation people, not Translink, and their news release yesterday show they don't think Elsie has left the station. "Phyllis has joined Elsie, the tunnel-boring machine named after notable B.C.-born Elizabeth (Elsie) MacGill, the world’s first female aeronautical engineer, at the future Broadway-City Hall Station for planned maintenance." It's DH who are wrong.

officedweller · #**2146** Posted **May 27, 2023, 4:00 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Changing City

It's the Ministry of Transportation people, not Translink, and their news release yesterday show they don't think Elsie has left the station. "Phyllis has joined Elsie, the tunnel-boring machine named after notable B.C.-born Elizabeth (Elsie) MacGill, the world’s first female aeronautical engineer, at the future Broadway-City Hall Station for planned maintenance." It's DH who are wrong.

It's actually the Contractor consortium, not MoTI, isn't it?

Changing City · #**2147** Posted **May 27, 2023, 4:16 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by officedweller

It's actually the Contractor consortium, not MoTI, isn't it?

The press release with the quote is from MoTI.

madog222 · #**2148** Posted **Jun 1, 2023, 2:52 AM**

They've started the foundation piles for what should be the at grade transition abutment at Carolina St, the first is on the left (vertical rebar cage) and now drilling for a second.

It should end up something like these: https://goo.gl/maps/ZoT4ZN5fjHRA1GhY8 or https://goo.gl/maps/T1HgfvpwheidYEU36

officedweller · #**2149** Posted **Jun 1, 2023, 3:32 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Changing City

The press release with the quote is from MoTI.

I meant in control of the work (and [with liability for] any delays).

Changing City · #**2150** Posted **Jun 1, 2023, 5:02 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by officedweller

I meant in control of the work (and [with liability for] any delays).

Gotcha. Do we know there's any delay overall? The most recent notice (in April) said "Elsie, the first tunnel boring machine (TBM), will be arriving at Broadway-City Hall Station soon and will undergo regular maintenance below the traffic deck in the station area. Concurrently, Phyllis, the second TBM, will be starting her second leg of tunnelling, from Mount Pleasant Station towards Broadway-City Hall Station".

We know Phyllis has now made it to the station, and that the timetable was described in October last year "Tunnel boring activities will take place 24/7 for approximately the next fourteen months during excavation of both tunnels." We're just over half way through that period, and so far they've tunneled about 2 km, with about 3 km to go, so they might still make that schedule. The remaining tunnel is a straight shot down Broadway, (although they could still hit some unexpected geology).

madog222 · #**2151** Posted **Jun 1, 2023, 5:35 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Changing City

Gotcha. Do we know there's any delay overall? The most recent notice (in April) said "Elsie, the first tunnel boring machine (TBM), will be arriving at Broadway-City Hall Station soon and will undergo regular maintenance below the traffic deck in the station area. Concurrently, Phyllis, the second TBM, will be starting her second leg of tunnelling, from Mount Pleasant Station towards Broadway-City Hall Station".

We know Phyllis has now made it to the station, and that the timetable was described in October last year "Tunnel boring activities will take place 24/7 for approximately the next fourteen months during excavation of both tunnels." We're just over half way through that period, and so far they've tunneled about 2 km, with about 3 km to go, so they might still make that schedule. The remaining tunnel is a straight shot down Broadway, (although they could still hit some unexpected geology).

I don't believe there have been any delays since they actually commenced tunneling, though that was delayed 3 months from the scheduled start. They managed a significantly higher speed from Main to Cambie (16m/day) than the first leg (10-12m/day, not including assembly time) and fairly close to the quoted maximum rate (18m/day). The first leg also took a while because they had to assemble the rear half of each TBM after they had launched and cleared the pit.

By my count there is 4.5 months of actual tunneling left so we should see breakthrough at Cypress Street ~6-7 months after they leave Cambie.

Hooknose · #**2152** Posted **Jun 1, 2023, 3:49 PM**

By my count there is 4.5 months of actual tunneling left so we should see breakthrough at Cypress Street ~6-7 months after they leave Cambie.[/QUOTE]

Quite a possible Xmas present for Vancouver.

UBC or bust.

FarmerHaight · #**2153** Posted **Jun 1, 2023, 4:21 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hooknose

UBC or bust.

Better get implementing North Shore BRT then, since the Mayor's Council has said that must come first before UBCx.

idunno · #**2154** Posted **Jun 1, 2023, 4:23 PM**

It's pretty wild how fast the tunnel boring part of the project is (with 2 machines). Excavation/setting them up/taking them out takes just as long!

FarmerHaight · #**2155** Posted **Jun 1, 2023, 4:57 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by idunno

It's pretty wild how fast the tunnel boring part of the project is (with 2 machines). Excavation/setting them up/taking them out takes just as long!

There are definite parallels between this project and building development in Vancouver. Planning and permitting takes just as long (or longer) as the actual construction itself!

Hooknose · #**2156** Posted **Jun 1, 2023, 5:23 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by FarmerHaight

There are definite parallels between this project and building development in Vancouver. Planning and permitting takes just as long (or longer) as the actual construction itself!

Truer words, never written, never spoken.

mcj · #**2157** Posted **Jun 1, 2023, 6:46 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by FarmerHaight

Better get implementing North Shore BRT then, since the Mayor's Council has said that must come first before UBCx.

Implementing is a vague term though, they could slap a BRT label on the existing 222 route and have a plan to expand service and bring it up to full BRT in the future. That would technically be "implementing" it, this could happen tomorrow in theory.

officedweller · #**2158** Posted **Jun 1, 2023, 6:59 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Changing City

Gotcha. Do we know there's any delay overall? The most recent notice (in April) said "Elsie, the first tunnel boring machine (TBM), will be arriving at Broadway-City Hall Station soon and will undergo regular maintenance below the traffic deck in the station area. Concurrently, Phyllis, the second TBM, will be starting her second leg of tunnelling, from Mount Pleasant Station towards Broadway-City Hall Station".

I doubt there's any significant delay - they do seem to be moving fast (or maybe because the stations are relatively close together versus the Clarke Rd. tunnel, downtown south station spacing or under False Creek).
It was just raised in a previous post because the TBM was sitting there (for maintenance) and it was suggested that it was waiting for some work in the station to be completed before it could traverse the station box.

jollyburger · #**2159** Posted **Jun 4, 2023, 12:15 AM**

Bunch of videos posted on the station sites if anyone wants to see them:

https://www.youtube.com/@Flames237/videos

Migrant_Coconut · #**2160** Posted **Jun 4, 2023, 1:14 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by FarmerHaight

There are definite parallels between this project and building development in Vancouver. Planning and permitting takes just as long (or longer) as the actual construction itself!

"Measure twice, cut once" and all that. Sure, it's a pain to wait, but we could always be doing it the other way around like Toronto...