On November 8th, 2016, Singapore witnessed the breakthrough of the first tunnel undertaken by a Rectangular TBM. This TBM was designed and manufactured by CREG for a total drive of 156m. It overcame tremendous challenges of frequent cutterhead blockage and closely spaced boulders. This TBM could deal with shallow overburden efficiently and therefore saves construction cost. In China, the Rectangular TBM is widely used in similar projects. In early 2017, T221 Project was awarded as “the Project of the Year Award (SPMI PoY) 2016-2017 in Engineering & Construction Category”.

TBM Diameter: 7.62*5.645 m

Tunnel type: Metro tunnel

Drive mode: Electric

Best weekly performance: 4m/day

Main drive power: 540 kW