The first of two TBMs building Vancouver’s Broadway Subway has made its final breakthrough.

TBM Phyllis arrived at the Arbutus Station pit on March 20, marking completion of boring of the westbound tunnel for SkyTrain Millennium Line’s Broadway extension.

Phyllis began boring her last segment between stations on February 2, when she resumed her dig from the Granville Street wall of South Granville Station. It took her 50 days to travel the four city-block segment from Granville Street to Cypress Street.

TBM Elsie, which is building the eastbound tunnel, is also now closing in to break through the wall at Cypress Street. Elsie resumed her dig from South Granville Street on March 5.

When TBM Elsie makes her final breakthrough – possibly at the end of April – tunnel boring for the project will be completed. Both Herrenknecht TBMs, operated by Broadway Subway Project Corporation, an Acciona Ghella JV, will be disassembled in the Arbutus Station pit and removed.

The Broadway Subway Project is a 5.7km extension of the Millennium Line from VCC-Clark Station to West Broadway and Arbutus, providing a SkyTrain service along the Broadway corridor. The C$2.8bn (£1.63bn), 5.7-km-long extension of the Millennium Line will add six subway stations to the network.

The corridor is home to British Columbia’s second-largest jobs centre, healthcare services, an emerging innovation and research hub, and growing residential neighbourhoods.