The first tunnel boring machine (TBM) has broken through at the future site of Pitt Street Station, 20 metres below the streets of Sydney.
TBM Nancy, one of the five tunnelling machines, broke through a wall of rock at the site of the station after tunnelling for six kilometres since launching in October.
It was launched from Marrickville last year and has excavated around 600,000 tonnes of rock.
At the Pitt Street Station site, tunnel builders John Holland CPB Ghella spent nine months removing 92,000 tonnes of sandstone to build the underground station cavern in preparation for the arrival of TBM Nancy.
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All of the crushed rock from the Sydney Metro project will be recycled, with a portion being reused to build the Western Sydney International Airport.
The 150-metre long TBM will now undergo maintenance before it is launched towards the future site of Martin Place Station and then on to Barangaroo.
TBM Mum Shirl is a few hundred metres behind Nancy, building the second tunnel along the same route.