Delhi Metro Starts Tunneling on Najafgarh Branch of the Blue Line

Yesterday, the Hindustan Construction Company – the Delhi Metro’s CC-66 contractor for the tunnel section of the Blue line’s new 4.3 km Najafgarh branch began tunneling on the westbound line! The 945m tunnel section includes twin tunnels from the TBM’s shaft located opposite the local Sai Baba Mandir to the MCD office close to Najafgarh’s Delhi Gate.

As a reminder, in September, the contractor had started to lower the TBM’s parts into the Sai Baba Shaft – see images here. Like the Yamuna Vihar-Vaishali branch on the eastern end of the line, the Dwarka-Najafgarh line will form a branch on the western end of the line. Users will have to interchange at the Dwarka station to go towards Najafgarh.

This 4.3 km extension of the Blue line will partly be elevated and partly underground. The 2.75 km elevated section includes a new station building at Dwarka (to form an interchange with the existing station) and another station at Nangli. The 1.54 km underground component includes a 595 meter ramp while the rest of the distance (945 m) will be tunneled using a single TBM.

Najafgarh branch’s route – Map Courtesy DMRC – full full map

Actual alignment of the line with stations and TBM shaft site

Some images from the Sai Baba Mandir shaft:

Prior to tunneling, a small pooja was conducted – Photo Copyright: Ravinder Rawal

Photo Copyright: Ravinder Rawal

Photo Copyright: Ravinder Rawal

Photo Copyright: Ravinder Rawal

Tunneling to the Najafgarh station is expected to be completed in June 2016 following which the TBM will then literally be u-turned & redeployed to bore the eastbound tunnel back to the Sai Baba Mandir shaft.

For more updates on the Delhi Metro’s Phase III, check out the Delhi section of The Metro Rail Guy!

– TMRG