#TBT – Delhi Metro Completes Palam – Shankar Vihar Tunnels
After my premature Throwback Thursday celebrations on Tuesday (see: #TBT – Images from Delhi Metro TBM’s Breakthrough at Shankar Vihar Shaft), I’m now ready to celebrate an actual TBT with even bigger news!
The Delhi Metro’s contractor for CC32, ITD Cementation, has completed tunneling all 6 tunnels on the Palam – Shankar Vihar section of the new 36.98 km Magenta line! This section includes twin tunnels between:
1) Palam station to the shaft west of Saddar Bazaar
2) Shaft east of Saddar Bazaar to the Domestic terminal of IGI Airport
3) Domestic terminal of IGI Airport to the Shankar Vihar shaft
I’ve marked the location of all those places in the following map:
What’s interesting about this section of the Magenta line is the intermingling of different contractors:
CC27 – L&T SUCG – responsible for tunneling from Hauz Khas to the shaft east of Shankar Vihar
CC 29 – Afcons Infra – responsible for viaduct and 2 stations at Saddar Bazaar & Shankar Vihar
CC32 – ITD Cementation – responsible for tunnels between Palam – Shankar Vihar shaft and all stations except Saddar Bazaar
Their respective sections have been marked in different colors below (see caption):
Blue -ITD Cem ; Green – Afcons Infra ; Red – L&T SUCG
And now for the images of the final breakthrough that you’ve been waiting for. The breakthrough took place on June 16 2015 at ITD Cem’s Shankar Vihar shaft which is adjacent to NH-8 (see on google maps). Due to hard rock present on the Airport-Shankar Vihar stretch, the 1275 meter drive was completed in 361 days. You’ll notice the breakthrough date indicated on the banner as “June 17” because that’s what they estimated during the time of printing it, but the breakthrough took place a day early, ha!
Photo Copyright: Wanlop Mahawan
Photo Copyright: Bamdev Dutta
Time to bring the flags out! – Photo Copyright: Wanlop Mahawan
Photo Copyright: Wanlop Mahawan
Oye chak de phatte! – Photo Copyright: Bamdev Dutta
The completion of this section combined with the news of the completion of the Janakpuri west – Palam section from last month (See: Delhi Metro Completes Janakpuri West – Palam Tunnels on Magenta Line) means that all the tunnels from Janakpuri west to Shankar Vihar are now complete!
Tunneling on the Janakpuri W – Shankar Vihar is now complete! – Map Courtesy DMRC – full full map
While I enjoy some home brewed beer to celebrate this development, you can to choose to either virtually join me or if you’re hungry for more updates, then you may head to the Delhi section of The Metro Rail Guy!
– TMRG
When is this line expected to complete and start running of the metro?
Tunneling on all sections should be over by mid 2016 and the line between Janajpuri and Kalindi Kunj will open up sometime in early-mid 2017. The Kalindi Kunj to Botanical Garden section will take some more time. Unlike the Pink line, the Magenta line doesn’t have any land acquisition issues.