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Bringing information to you, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Robbins is committed to keeping you updated with the latest news and events happening around the world, from breakthroughs to new world records to TBM launches.
Robbins is committed to keeping you updated with the latest news and events happening around the world, from breakthroughs to new world records to TBM launches.
Press Releases | 18 August 2023
In June 2023, a resilient 8.0 m diameter Robbins Single Shield completed its second tunnel at Turkey’s Bahçe-Nurdaği Railway. The machine completed 9.6 km of tunneling, adding on to the 9.2 km it completed in its initial railway tunnel in 2020. [...]
Press Releases | 4 August 2022
On July 25, 2022, a crowd gathered as a large Robbins Main Beam TBM, dubbed ‘Big Tex’, broke through in Dallas, Texas, USA. The machine and its continuous conveyor system, for the Mill Creek Drainage Relief Tunnel, successfully bored 8 km (5 mi) in ch [...]
Press Releases | 4 April 2022
The breakthrough of an 8 m (26.2 ft) diameter Robbins Main Beam TBM at China’s Yin Han Ji Wei project is not only a cause for celebration, but also a triumph of technology and perseverance. The machine overcame 17.5 km (10.9 mi) of tunnel in some of the [...]
Press Releases | 24 March 2022
On March 3, 2022, a 7.95 m (26.1 ft) diameter Robbins Single Shield TBM completed a record-setting run below Lake Ontario. During its excavation, the TBM and its experienced crew bored a Toronto record of 30 rings in one day, or about 47 m (154 ft) of adv [...]
Press Releases | 4 January 2022
A Robbins 4.6 m (15.1 ft) diameter Crossover machine holed through in the Andes Mountains of Chile in the last quarter of 2021. The XRE TBM bored a 3.3 km (2.1 mi) long tunnel for Chile’s Los Condores Hydroelectric Power Project (HEPP) and project owner [...]
Press Releases | 15 November 2021
The Robbins Crossover TBM set multiple records prior to its October 2021 breakthrough, including a best day of 32.4 m (106 ft), a best week of 178.2 m (584.6 ft), and a best month of 721.8 m (2,368 ft), making it the fastest TBM over 13 m (43 ft) in diame [...]
Press Releases | 2 August 2021
History has been made twice over at Turkey’s Eşme-Salihli Railway Tunnel where a 13.77 m (45.18 ft) diameter Robbins Crossover XRE TBM has set new world records for best day, week, and month in the 13 to 14 m (42.6 to 46 ft) diameter range. [...]
Press Releases | 25 May 2021
A Robbins 13.77 m (45.18 ft) diameter Crossover XRE TBM launched recently in spring 2021 in Eşme, Turkey. The large machine is boring the 3.05 km (1.90 mi) Eşme-Salihli Railway Tunnel through mixed conditions including sandstone, gravelstone, claystone, [...]
Press Releases | 16 October 2020
A 6.7 m (22 ft) diameter Robbins Main Beam TBM and conveyor system broke through on September 22, 2020, giving the crew much to celebrate: They had overcome overstress in the crown that resulted in significant rock fallout in seven different areas, as wel [...]
Press Releases | 25 August 2020
On July 24, 2020, a jubilant ceremony marked a milestone for southern Turkey’s arduous Bahçe-Nurdaği High-Speed Railway Tunnel. The first TBM-driven portion of tunneling using an 8.0 m (26.2 ft) diameter Robbins Single Shield machine is now complete. [...]
Press Releases | 2 March 2020
In January 2020, a Robbins 5.97 m (19.6 ft) diameter Main Beam TBM cleared its final hurdle when it broke through in Guangxi Province, China. The tunnel was marked by a gauntlet of challenges, from karst cavities to fault zones and water inflows. [...]
Press Releases | 7 January 2020
In December 2019, the City of Dallas, Texas, USA unveiled the largest hard rock TBM ever to bore in the U.S. The 11.6 m (38.1 ft) diameter Robbins Main Beam TBM will excavate the 8 km (5 mi) Mill Creek Drainage Relief tunnel. [...]
Press Releases | 27 November 2019
In 1979, a 4.56 m diameter Robbins Double Shield TBM was delivered to bore the Severomuysky Service Tunnel, a 15.3 km long railway through the remote mountains of Siberia. Now, 40 years after the original machine was delivered, Robbins is returning to the [...]
Press Releases | 4 September 2019
In August 2019, a small diameter Double Shield TBM made a big impact. The 2.46 m (8.07 ft) diameter Robbins machine completed 3,475 m (11,400 ft) of boring with no intermediate access, making it the longest rock tunnel ever bored by a Double Shield TBM un [...]
Press Releases | 21 August 2019
On Tuesday August 13, a 6.58 m (21.6 ft) Robbins Single Shield TBM completed tunneling at the Delaware Aqueduct Bypass Tunnel, capping a challenging repair to the world's longest tunnel on time and on budget. [...]
Press Releases | 4 June 2019
On May 23, 2019, the last of six 8.93 m (29.3 ft) diameter EPBs completed excavation at Lot 4 of Mexico City’s Túnel Emisor Oriente (TEO), a feat marking the completion of ten years and 62.1 km (38.6 mi) of tunneling. Despite multiple challenges, the [...]
Press Releases | 22 May 2019
In April 2019, a Robbins Double Shield TBM defied the notoriously difficult geology of the Himalayas to break through about one year ahead of the overall project schedule, and seven months ahead of the TBM tunneling schedule. Nepal’s first tunnel bori [...]
Press Releases | 1 May 2019
In April 2019, a Robbins 3.5 m (11.5 ft) diameter Main Beam TBM broke through into open space, completing its 2.8 km (1.7 mi) long tunnel. It was not the first time the machine had encountered open space: twice during tunneling, the machine hit uncharted [...]
Press Releases | 14 March 2019
On February 28, 2019 a ceremony was held to mark the breakthrough of a machine proven in both soft ground and hard rock. The 8.93 m (29.3 ft) diameter Robbins EPB and continuous conveyor system completed what is arguably one of the most difficult legs of [...]
Press Releases | 20 February 2019
Excavation of Turkey’s longest water tunnel came to an end on December 18, 2018. To get there, a 5.56 m (18.2 ft) diameter Robbins Crossover (XRE) TBM and the contractor JV of Kolin/Limak had to overcome dozens of major fault zones and water pressures u [...]
Press Releases | 23 October 2018
On October 4, 2018, onlookers watched as a 3.8 m (12.5 ft) diameter Robbins Main Beam TBM completed its epic journey. The TBM, christened “Driller Mike”, after local rapper and activist “Killer Mike”, overcame extremely hard rock conditions along [...]
Press Releases | 23 July 2018
Nepal’s first tunnel boring machine, a 5.06 m (16.6 ft) diameter Robbins Double Shield, is living up to the nation’s high expectations. The TBM, supplied in summer 2017 for the Bheri Babai Diversion Multipurpose Project (BBDMP), recently bored over 1, [...]
Press Releases | 11 July 2018
On June 11, 2018, a Robbins Crossover XRE destined for Line 3 of India’s Mumbai Metro arrived in Mumbai port following a successful factory acceptance test in April. The machine, combining features of a hard rock Single Shield TBM and an Earth Pressure [...]
Press Releases | 22 March 2018
A rebuilt Robbins 3.5 m (11.5 ft) diameter Main Beam TBM has yet another milestone to add to its storied career: an unexpected cavern, encountered and successfully passed through. The cavern, studded with stalactites and stalagmites and measuring 8,000 c [...]
Press Releases | 27 February 2018
In Chicago, Illinois, USA Kenny Construction is nearing completion on the Albany Park Stormwater Diversion Tunnel, which will go online in April 2018. A Robbins Main Beam Hard Rock TBM bored the tunnel and broke through at the end of August 2017, bringin [...]
Press Releases | 20 February 2018
In Jilin, one of the three provinces of Northeast China, a 7.9 m (26 ft) diameter Robbins Hard Rock Main Beam TBM has achieved a national record for 7 to 8 meter (23 to 26 ft) machines: 1,423.5 m (4,670 ft) in one month. The record tops a previously-set a [...]
Press Releases | 13 November 2017
On Tuesday, October 31, 2017, a 6.65 m (21.8 ft) diameter Robbins EPB TBM broke through at Chennai Metro, making this the third tunnel the machine has bored for the project and for contractor Afcons Infrastructure Ltd. The robust machine achieved good ad [...]
Press Releases | 8 November 2017
On October 18, 2017, a Robbins 9.26 m (30.4 ft) diameter Crossover machine started up at the Akron Ohio Canal Interceptor Tunnel (OCIT) in Ohio, USA. Running behind the Crossover TBM is the 100th Robbins Continuous Conveyor system supplied for muck remova [...]
Press Releases | 18 September 2017
The first of two Slurry TBMs, a rebuilt 6.65 m (21.8 ft) diameter machine, passed its factory acceptance on September 4, 2017 in Singapore. The machine, fitted with a Robbins cutterhead and outer shields, is destined for the Mumbai Metro Line 3 under cont [...]
Press Releases | 8 August 2017
Nepal will welcome its first TBM ever this summer, a 5.06 m (16.6 ft) diameter Double Shield machine for the Bheri Babai Diversion Multipurpose Project (BBDMP). The Robbins TBM underwent its Factory Acceptance Testing in July 2017 and is currently being [...]
Press Releases | 10 July 2017
On June 8, 2017, a select group of project officials, including Mexico’s President Enrique Peña Nieto, celebrated the final breakthrough of an epic tunneling project. The 8.7 m (28.5 ft) diameter Robbins Crossover TBM is the first such hybrid machine [...]
Press Releases | 31 May 2017
A Robbins Crossover (XRE) TBM measuring 9.26 m (30.4 ft) in diameter underwent factory acceptance on May 30, 2017 for the Ohio Canal Interceptor Tunnel (OCIT) in Akron. The TBM, which includes features of both EPB and Hard Rock Single Shield TBM types, is [...]
Press Releases | 17 May 2017
In April 2017, a ceremony was held to celebrate the commissioning of the Dariali Hydropower Project in the Republic of Georgia. Many attended the ceremony marking the first carbon-neutral hydropower project in the world, including Georgian Prime Minister, [...]
Press Releases | 15 March 2017
Robbins has completed the manufacture and testing of a unique tunnel boring machine that will be used to repair the longest continuous tunnel in the world. The TBM will be used to overhaul a section of New York City’s Delaware Aqueduct, a 137 km (85 mi) [...]
Press Releases | 17 January 2017
Chile's Los Condores HEPP is a high cover, hard rock challenge, with 500 m (1,640 ft) of rock above the tunnel and a high-altitude jobsite 2,500 m (8,200 ft) above sea level. As of January 2017, a 4.56 m (15.0 ft) Robbins Double Shield TBM had completed b [...]
Press Releases | 26 October 2016
After an Onsite First Time Assembly (OFTA) lasting just 2.5 months, Atlanta Georgia, USA's newest TBM, dubbed "Driller Mike", made its initial startup on October 13, 2016 and ramped up to full production two weeks later. [...]
Press Releases | 18 October 2016
On September 23, 2016, Bangalore's last TBM for the city's metro rail project broke through, marking the end of TBM tunneling on the Namma Metro phase 1. The success follows a gauntlet of challenges, from low overburden and unconsolidated ground to voids [...]
Press Releases | 3 October 2016
On Tuesday, September 6, 2016, one of the longest-running Robbins TBMs embarked on its most extensive project yet. The 6.2 m (20.2 ft) Main Beam machine, owned by the Shea-Kiewit (S-K) JV, is boring the 8.5 km (5.3 mi) long White River Tunnel as the firs [...]
Press Releases | 21 June 2016
The Robbins Company announced the appointment of Joe Lechner to the role of Small Boring Unit (SBU) Sales Manager. With over 18 years of industry experience, the role is a natural career progression for Lechner. It brings him back to his early roots of wo [...]
Press Releases | 16 June 2016
On June 8, 2016, one of two 6.4 m (21.0 ft) diameter mixed-face EPB machines broke through at Namma Metro. After being launched in March 2015, the TBM named Kaveri made its way through its difficult 750 meter (2,460 ft.) drive from Chickpet to Majestic. S [...]
Press Releases | 2 May 2016
On March 29, 2016, North America's first Crossover TBM broke new ground in Mexico City. The 8.7 m (28.5 ft) diameter Robbins XRE--a cross between a rock TBM and an EPB--emerged into an intermediate shaft at Emisor Poniente (TEP) II. [...]
Press Releases | 25 February 2016
On January 27, 2016, a Robbins mixed ground EPB broke through at Chennai Metro, finishing up a challenging second drive that saw the full gamut of difficult conditions. From hard granitic rock to low cover tunneling below a river, the unique obstacles me [...]
Press Releases | 19 January 2016
A small diameter Robbins Double Shield TBM recently completed a 4 km (2.5 mi) tunnel below city streets in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, capping a project to put the large Rosemont Reservoir back into service after its closure 20 years ago. [...]
Press Releases | 29 September 2015
On July 22, 2015, a 3.5 m (11.5 ft) Robbins Main Beam TBM began a new chapter in its storied 32-year career. Originally built for the Terror Lake project in Alaska, the veteran machine has been used all over the world, most recently in Hong Kong. Includin [...]
Press Releases | 6 July 2015
The Robbins Remote Controlled Small Boring Unit (SBU-RC) is a new type of boring machine capable of excavating small diameter hard rock tunnels at long distances, on line and grade. The SBU-RC features a smart guidance system for pinpoint steering accura [...]
Press Releases | 9 April 2015
On March 5, 2015, a Robbins 6.2 m (20.2 ft) diameter Main Beam TBM finished boring a 2.8 km (9,175 ft) long extension tunnel, known as the Eagle Creek Tunnel, for the Indianapolis Deep Tunnel System in Indiana, USA. [...]
Press Releases | 12 March 2015
Robbins proudly announces its Crossover Series of TBMs, a line of field-tested, rugged Dual Mode-type machines. Crossover TBMs feature aspects of two TBM types, and are ideal for mixed ground conditions that might otherwise require multiple tunneling mach [...]
Press Releases | 10 March 2015
A ground-breaking TBM brought a mining operation one step closer to first coal on February 9, 2015. The Robbins Dual Mode "Crossover" Rock/EPB TBM completed tunneling at Anglo American's Grosvenor Project in Queensland, Australia. [...]