TBM Makes Breakthrough at Delhi Metro’s Mayapuri Shaft

Yesterday afternoon, the S26 Tunnel Boring Machine operated by the J. Kumar – CRTG – Terratec team for contract CC-20 of Delhi Metro’s Phase 3 project made a breakthrough at the Mayapuri shaft! This Earth Pressure Balance TBM with a diameter of 6.61m was commissioned from the Naraina Vihar station on December 8 2015 and completed the 310m long down-line tunnel at the Mayapuri shaft of the new 58.59 km Pink line which encircles the city.

Satellite view of the Mayapuri shaft adjacent to the busy Ring Road:

Yellow star – Naraina Vihar station ; Purple star – Mayapuri Shaft – view Delhi Metro map

Crowd of workers & engineers gathered around the Mayapuri shaft – Photo Copyright: Satyendra Singh

Seconds before the breakthrough, the tunnel’s eye was blasted with a mix of water & foam
– Photo Copyright: Urin Wanbanterng

Boom! – Photo Copyright: Urin Wanbanterng

Desi pride on display – Photo Copyright: Shashi Pratap

And the Thai workers from Terratec brought out their flag as well – Photo Copyright: Prince Garg

A group of visitors at the Mayapuri shaft – Photo Copyright: Basavaraj Chalmi

One of them is the DMRC’s MD Mangu Singh – Photo Copyright: Achlendra Katiyar

February 3 2016 – S26’s final breakthrough at Mayapuri shaft – Photo Copyright: Vaibhav Saxena

To quickly recap, TBM S26 made it first breakthrough at Naraina Vihar station from the Delhi Cantt. shaft on October 5 after which it was dragged across the station’s length (roughly 200m) using hydraulic jacks over a period of roughly 18 days. Many images of the contractor dragging the TBM can be viewed here. The TBM was then commissioned on December 8 for one final drive which it completed in no time! 🙂

News Alert:  TBM S27 which was commissioned on the parallel up-line on January 5 is expected to make a breakthrough at the same shaft later this month. Once that breakthrough is made, the 1103m twin tunnels of CC-20’s 2.2 km section from the Mayapuri ramp to the Delhi Cantonment ramp will be complete.

With this breakthrough out of the way, now only 7 more TBM breakthroughs are left on the Pink line:

Red: Yet to Begin ; Green: In Progress

For a more detailed report with progress made on all lines’ tunnels, please see my February 2016 Tunneling Update.

News Alert 2: A breakthrough at the Lal Qila station for the down-line tunnel of the Violet line will be made today! Once that is done, all 4 tunnels in contract CC-07 between Kashmere Gate – Lal Qila – Jama Masjid will be complete. I’ll be sure to post information & images, so do check out the home page of my site later!

For more updates on the Delhi Metro’s Phase 3, check out the Delhi section of The Metro Rail Guy!

– TMRG