Delhi Metro TBM Makes a 2nd Breakthrough at Panchsheel Park Station on Magenta Line
If you follow me on Twitter, then you’re probably already aware of this development! But if not, then the Delhi Metro Rail Corp yesterday quietly crossed another construction milestone on its new 36.98 km Magenta line. A TBM deployed by the Pratibha-FEMC joint venture company for contract CC-23 made a successful second breakthrough on the west-bound “up line” tunnel at the Panchsheel Park station just a month and half after its first breakthrough here.
The TBM started tunneling eastward from the Hauz Khas station (interchange between the Yellow & Magenta lines) earlier this year and traveled approximately 1.3 km along the Outer Ring Road to make a breakthrough at the Panchsheel Park station.
Location of Panchsheel Park station – Map courtesy DMRC – view full map
Google Earth view of Panchsheel Park station:
Note: This view will no longer be available in 2017 when Google updates its satellite imagery.
Image of the breakthrough:
Photo Copyright: Vicky Pathania
As you can see, they made a “soft” breakthrough here and will tear down the concrete “eye” of the tunnel over the next couple of days to retrieve the TBM. With this breakthrough completed and out of the way, the twin tunnels between Munirka – RK Puram – IIT – Hauz Khas – Panchsheel Park are now complete! Both this and the TBM from the earlier breakthrough will now be redeployed to complete the Panchsheel Park – Chirag Delhi tunnels. Update: Strike that. Tunneling is already in progress between Panchsheel Park – Chirag Delhi.
For more updates on the Delhi Metro’s Phase 3, check out the Delhi section of The Metro Rail Guy!
– TMRG
Can you give a complete list of the status of tunnelling for Delhi Phase III? Sounds like it’s coming along well but there are still some stretches to finish and time is getting tight… Also – what’s happening with Ashram station – Google Earth imagery makes it look like it’s just getting started…?
Hi, the Ashram station is being constructed using the ‘top-down’ method in which the foundation walls are first constructed around the station’s perimeter and then the soil is excavated, as opposed to the ‘cut and cover’ method in which excavation is first done followed by construction. So that’s why on Google Earth it looks like they’ve just started. Towards the northern/western corner of the station, you can see the all-important TBM shafts where breakthroughs were made by 2 TBMs after traveling 1665m from the Nizamuddin station. TBM S25 made a breakthrough on Aug 2 2014 and TBM S28 on Sept 30 2014. Both TBMs are now currently on their way to the Vinobhapuri station. I’ll be compiling a list of tunnel sections along with their status soon!