Tunnel boring machine (TBM) Tatuzão has arrived in Rio de Janeiro to begin construction of the city’s metro Line 4.
Rio’s state government has said that Tatuzão, which weighs 2000 tonnes stretches for 120 metres, is the largest TBM in Latin America.
After arriving in the Port of Rio, the TBM was transported by road to Leopoldina for pre-assembly.
Tatuzão is expected to create 15-18 feet of new tunnel between Ipanema and Barra de Tijuca every day.
The TBM’s cutting head measures 11.5 metres across – the same height as a four-story building.
The next stage of the TBM assembly will be carried out in a cavern next to the General Osório Station before it starts digging toward the Gávea district.
