2nd TBM Commissioned from Delhi Metro’s RK Puram Shaft

Yesterday morning, the FEMC-Pratibha JV team for contract CC-18 in Delhi commissioned their last Tunnel Boring Machine from the RK Puram shaft on the Ring Road! This TBM will excavate and build the down-line tunnel from here to the Bhikaji Cama Place station for the new 58.59 km Pink line of Delhi Metro’s 159.327 km Phase 3 project. Parts of this TBM were lowered into the shaft in January after the TBM operating on the parallel up-line tunnel was commissioned in December 2015, and at time of writing this 4 temporary rings have been built.

The tunneling distance between the RK Puram shaft and Bhikaji Cama Place station is roughly 400 meters, so a breakthrough can be expected to take place by June 2016.

Satellite imagery of the RK Puram shaft from where the TBM was commissioned:

Location & alignment of the RK Puram shaft to Bhikaji Cama Place section of Delhi Metro’s Pink line
– view Delhi Metro map & information

First 2 temporary rings built by the TBM – Photo Copyright: Abhishek Anand

Photo Copyright: Abhishek Anand

Workers relaxing inside the 1st temporary ring of the tunnel – Photo Copyright: Abhishek Anand

1st temporary ring – Photo Copyright: Abhishek Anand

With this TBM on its way, now only 2 more TBMs are left to be commissioned on the Pink line with 6 breakthroughs pending. The two TBMs stuck at Rameshwar Nagar originally launched from Azadpur will be excavated and pulled out from the mid-shaft after the ones from the Majlis Park shaft make a breakthrough at the mid-shaft.

Red: Yet to Begin ; Green: In Progress

For a comprehensive report with progress made on all lines’ tunnels, please see my March 2016 Tunneling Update.

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

– TMRG