Tunnel boring machine shipped for Evergreen Line project

Last week, a massive tunnel boring machine was moved via rail and truck to Vancouver, British Columbia, from its manufacturer in Ontario as part of the Evergreen Line construction project.

Due to its size and weight, the machine was being shipped in pieces to be assembled at a specially built launch site on the west side of Barnet Highway in Port Moody, Transport Canada officials said in a press release.

The 1,200-ton machine's assembly will take about two months, with tunnel construction expected to start in February 2014. The machine will be used to build the 1.2-mile tunnel that will run west of the highway to Kemsley Avenue in Coquitlam, B.C.

"This milestone is another exciting step towards delivering world-class transit infrastructure to the Lower Mainland," said James Moore, a minister responsible for British Columbia and a member of Parliament.

The Evergreen Line will link Burnaby, Port Moody and Coquitlam, and be integrated into an existing passenger-rail system, connecting directly with the Millennium Line at Lougheed Town Center Station, Transport Canada officials said. The project is being funded by TransLink and the governments of Canada and British Columbia.