Boring China: how Chinese firms are creating a new breed of tunnelling machine

Huge machine is the largest of its kind exported by China and will cut through a complex environment to create a 6.5km six-lane tunnel

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The “Patyegarang“, an ultra-large diameter tunnel boring machine developed by CR16 Equipment, a subsidiary of China Railway Group Limited, will be used to construct Sydney’s Western Harbour Project. It sets a new record for the excavation diameter of tunnel boring machines exported from China. Photo: Handout

Published: 7:00am, 27 May 2026

A gigantic but highly flexible Chinese tunnel boring machine is helping to carve out Sydney’s second major highway artery deep beneath the harbour, as China, dubbed an “infrastructure maniac”, exports more of its advanced technologies and sophisticated machinery.

The machine is currently operating in the Australian economic hub for the construction of the Western Harbour Tunnel project, a 6.5km (4 miles) tunnel featuring three lanes in each direction, which is expected to be completed in 2028, Chinese state-owned broadcaster CCTV reported on Monday.

Named after Patyegarang, an aboriginal woman known for her role in facilitating communication between indigenous people and Australia’s early settlers, the tunnel boring machine is operating in a complex underground environment with winding, S-shaped sections and a minimum turning radius of just 960 metres (3,150 feet).

Such conditions pose challenges for tunnel boring machines, which are typically very large and structurally rigid, making it difficult for them to navigate tight curves smoothly.

In response, the customised machine features a segmented body with a precision joint system, allowing the massive structure to bend at the waist and smoothly navigate curved routes with accuracy.

According to China Railway Engineering Equipment Group (CREG), which built the Patyegarang tunnel boring machine, it has an excavation diameter of 15.7 metres, making it the largest of its kind that China has ever exported overseas.

Boring China: how Chinese firms are creating a new breed of tunnelling machine

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Huge machine is the largest of its kind exported by China and will cut through a complex environment to create a 6.5km six-lane tunnel

Huge machine is the largest of its kind exported by China and will cut through a complex environment to create a 6.5km six-lane tunnel