SAVE THE DATE – REGISTRATION OPENS SOON!

Note: this is a hybrid event available online and in person in Brisbane

Event overview & who should attend

Excavating directly above operating TBM is one of the most complex challenges in tunnelling, demanding precision, coordination, and innovative thinking. At Albert Street on Cross River Rail, this meant adapting excavation methods, rethinking ground support, and carefully controlling bench blasting to protect the TBM below.

In this presentation, Robert Elliot, Ben Swinn, and Dan Keating will walk through the real-world process of safely benching over opertaing TBM, from revising support systems to designing blasts. You’ll see how engineering decisions were made under tight constraints, supported by monitoring and risk management.

Whether you work in tunnelling, geotechnical design, or construction management, this session offers a behind-the-scenes look at a high-stakes excavation, lessons learned, and strategies you can apply to similar complex interfaces in your own projects.

Learning outcome

By the end of this session, attendees will:

1. Understand the rationale and risks associated with excavating directly above operating TBM, and how the methodology was adapted to address them.
2. Learn how ground support requirements evolved due to the change in excavation strategy, including practical implications for structural stability and safety.
3. Gain insights into the design and execution of controlled bench blasting near active tunnelling operations.
4. Be able to apply lessons learned from the Albert Street case to future tunnelling interfaces, especially in constrained urban environments with complex construction sequencing.

Speakers

Rob Elliott is a Senior Consultant from Systra, currently working client side on the Northern Water Desalination Project in South Australia as a Constructability Advisor and has over 10 years of post-graduate experience in major infrastructure projects, both in Australia and internationally. A key highlight of his career is his 5-year tenure on Brisbane’s Cross River Rail project, where he served as a Project Engineer. His experience also includes time on a major road tunnel project beneath the Suez Canal in Egypt.

Ben Swinn is a Senior Consultant from Systra currently seconded onto the Cross River Rail project as a Senior Project Engineer. Ben’s engineering background consists of tunnelling, trenchless and civil aspects including delivering recent major rail projects such as Carmichael Rail Network, Sydney Metro, Sydney Light Rail and Cross River Rail.

Dan Keating is a Senior Consultant from Systra, currently seconded onto Gold Coast Light Rail Stage 3 and has over 15 years of experience. Dan’s experience consists of tunnelling and heavy infrastructure works. His career has taken him overseas with exposure to projects such as Heathrow expansion upgrade, Thames Tideway Tunnel, underground coal and hardrock mining operations, Cross River Rail, Northconnex and most recently Gold Coast Light Rail Stage 3.