TBMs can turn, albeit slowly. Bigger tunnels are not necessarily more efficient than parallel tunnels. Consider changing a 1 lane to a 2 lane tunnel. You can dig two adjacent tunnels, or you can use a TBM that is twice as wide, and therefore has to remove 4x as much material. Even if you can only build 2 or 3 TBMs per bigger TBM, it's a win.
The tunnels are still pretty big, and the sleds could be 10' wide and 10' vertical if the tunnel ID is 14'. That's pretty comparable to a subway or bus, and the increased distance between the sleds is made up for by the increased speed.
The tunnels are still pretty big, and the sleds could be 10' wide and 10' vertical if the tunnel ID is 14'. That's pretty comparable to a subway or bus, and the increased distance between the sleds is made up for by the increased speed.