Delhi Metro Phase 3 – April 2016 Tunneling Update

Well, well – it’s April already! Here’s my Delhi Metro Phase 3 tunneling update for this month.

All the data in this post is correct as of April 1 and details from the March update can be viewed here. Beneath each table, I’ve included additional notes with information. In case you’re unaware of Delhi’s geography or need a map to help visualize what goes where, then you can refer to the Delhi Metro Phase 3 page & map or the DMRC’s Phase 3 map.

Photo Copyright: Anindito Mukherjee - Popular Science

A tunnel built for the Violet line in Phase 2 – Photo Copyright: Anindito Mukherjee

According to the footnotes on the DMRC’s Phase 3 map, 48.06 km of the 190 km Phase 1 & 2 network is underground. In Phase 3, 53.835 km of the 160.574 km is being built underground. Phase 3 includes a total of 40 sections of which 38 have/will be built using a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM). That’s a total of 76 tunneling drives. The other 2 significant sections not being constructed by a TBM are:

1) Kalkaji Mandir – Lotus (Bahá’í) Temple shaft – This section on the Magenta line has been constructed using the New Austrian Tunneling method (NATM) which has previously been used to tunnel underneath the Ridge for the Airport Express line and beneath Chawri Bazar and Saket for the Yellow line.

2) Nizamuddin Station – Ring Road shaft – This section is being constructed by the cut and cover method – see Google Earth satellite imagery.

Here’s a line wise update on different sections:

Blue Line – Line 3 – Dwarka – Najafgarh extension

Contract Contractor Station/Shaft Station/Shaft Status
CC-66 HCC Sai Baba Mandir Shaft Najafgarh/MCD In Progress

Number of Pending TBM Breakthroughs: 2

This section was a late addition to Phase 3. The Letter of Acceptance to the contractor was given on 11.04.2014 with a completion deadline of 20.04.2017. Tunneling on the westbound tunnel began on November 2 2015 – see: Delhi Metro Starts Tunneling on Najafgarh Branch of the Blue Line. As of the morning of April 1, 355 rings (497 m) have been built out of 475 rings (665 m) and the 1st breakthrough can be expected to take place in May! Construction on this line is progressing on schedule.


Violet Line – Line 6 – Central Secretariat to Kashmere Gate

Contract Contractor Station/Shaft Station/Shaft Status
CC-01 Pratibha-CRFG Central Sec. Shaft Janpath Operational
CC-01 Pratibha-CRFG Janpath Mandi House Operational
CC-05 L&T – SUCG Mandi House ITO Operational
CC-05 L&T – SUCG ITO Delhi Gate Complete
CC-05 L&T – SUCG Delhi Gate Jama Masjid Complete
CC-07 Era – Metrostroy Jama Masjid Lal Qila Complete
CC-07 Era – Metrostroy Lal Qila Kashmere Gate Complete

Number of Pending TBM Breakthroughs: 0

• The Central Secretariat to Mandi House section opened for commercial operations on June 26, 2014. A further extension northward to the ITO station was opened on June 8, 2015.

• Since my March update, a final TBM breakthrough at the Delhi Gate station’s TBM receiving shaft has taken place: TBM Makes Final Breakthrough at Delhi Metro’s Delhi Gate Station

While the DMRC has announced that it would open this line by September 2016, internally it’s aiming to open it by Independence Day (Aug 15) and has chalked out a plan to send their application for the CMRS’ inspection by June 30. See: DMRC Internally Aiming to Start ITO – Kashmere Gate Line Before I-Day for more details!

CC-05 had a deadline of 29.07.15 while CC-07 had a deadline of 12.09.15, so quite clearly the line’s construction is running more than half a year behind schedule. The DMRC on their website recently revised the line’s deadline from March 2016 to September 2016.

 

Pink Line – Line 7 – Mukundpur – Shiv Vihar

Contract Contractor Station/Shaft Station/Shaft Status
CC-04 CEC – CICI Majlis Park Shaft Azadpur In Progress
CC-04 CEC – CICI Azadpur Shalimar Bagh Complete
CC-30 HCC Shalimar Bagh Netaji Subhash Place Complete
CC-20 J Kumar – CRTG Mayapuri Shaft Naraina Vihar Complete
CC-20 J Kumar – CRTG Naraina Vihar Delhi Cantt Shaft Complete
CC-18 Pratibha – FEMC RK Puram Shaft Bhikaji Cama Place In Progress
CC-18 Pratibha – FEMC Bhikaji Cama Place Sarojini Market Complete
CC-18 Pratibha – FEMC Sarojini Market INA Complete
CC-18 Pratibha – FEMC INA South Extension Complete
CC-18 Pratibha – FEMC South Extension Lajpat Nagar Complete
CC-24 J Kumar – CRTG Lajpat Nagar Vinobhapuri Complete
CC-24 J Kumar – CRTG Vinobhapuri Ashram In Progress
CC-24 J Kumar – CRTG Ashram Hazrat Nizamuddin Complete

Number of Pending TBM Breakthroughs: 6 (see list)

• Since my March update, one TBM breakthrough has taken place at the Mayapuri shaft – see: TBM Makes 2nd Breakthrough at Delhi Metro’s Mayapuri Shaft.

• In April, I’m expecting 1 breakthrough to take place at the Bhikaji Cama Place station for the up-line’s tunnel. The TBM building this tunnel from the RKP shaft was commissioned in December 2015.

• For the Azadpur – Majlis Park section of CC-04, in February the CEC-CICI JV started lowering parts of a TBM into the Majlis Park shaft and should commission the TBM by the first week of April to complete the balance 600m of the down-line tunnel towards Azadpur. If things go as planned, tunneling will be wrapped up in Q3 2016. Update: The 1st of 2 TBMs was commissioned on March 30!

As things stand right now, this line’s construction (both underground & elevated) is running half a year behind schedule. It would be a miracle if the new Hyundai Rotem trains procured for Phase 3’s new lines will even venture out of the Mukundpur depot this year for conducting trial runs.

 

Magenta Line – Line 8 – Janakpuri W – Botanical Garden

Contract Contractor Station/Shaft Station/Shaft Status
CC-34 HCC – Samsung Vikaspuri Shaft Janakpuri W Complete
CC-34 HCC – Samsung Janakpuri W Dabri Mor Complete
CC-34 HCC – Samsung Dabri Mor Dashratpuri Complete
CC-34 HCC – Samsung Dashrat Puri Palam Complete
CC-32 ITD – ITD Cem Palam Saddar Bazaar W Shaft Complete
CC-32 ITD – ITD Cem Saddar Bazaar E Shaft IGI-Domestic Complete
CC-32 ITD – ITD Cem IGI-Domestic Shankar Vihar Complete
CC-27 L&T – SUCG Shankar Vihar Vasant Vihar In Progress
CC-27 L&T – SUCG Vasant Vihar Munirka In Progress
CC-27 L&T – SUCG Munirka RK Puram Complete
CC-27 L&T – SUCG RK Puram IIT Complete
CC-27 L&T – SUCG IIT Hauz Khas Complete
CC-23 Pratibha – FEMC Hauz Khas Panchsheel Park Complete
CC-23 Pratibha – FEMC Panchsheel Park Chirag Delhi Complete
CC-23 Pratibha – FEMC Chirag Delhi Greater Kailash In Progress
CC-23 Pratibha – FEMC Greater Kailash Nehru Enclave In Progress
CC-23 Pratibha – FEMC Nehru Enclave Kalkaji Mandir Complete
CC-23 Pratibha – FEMC Kalkaji Mandir Lotus Temple Shaft Complete

Number of Pending TBM Breakthroughs: 6 (see list)

• Apart from small sections at Saddar Bazaar & Shankar Vihar, the entire line is underground in south-west and south Delhi. The south-eastern section beyond Modi Mills is elevated.

• The Kalkaji Mandir – Lotus (Bahá’í) Temple shaft has been constructed using the New Austrian Tunneling method (NATM). For some cool images of it shot during construction, see: NATM Tunnel at Kalkaji in Delhi Almost Complete

• Since the March update, 2 TBM breakthroughs have taken place on this line:
1) TBM Makes 4th Breakthrough at Delhi Metro’s Panchsheel Park Station
2) TBM Makes Breakthrough at Delhi Metro’s Aravali Mid-Shaft

• In April, I’m expecting another 2 breakthroughs to take place:
1) At the Greater Kailash station for the up-line tunnel. The TBM building this tunnel from Chirag Delhi was commissioned in January 2016.
2) At the Nehru Enclave station for the down-line tunnel. The TBM building this tunnel from Greater Kailash was commissioned in November 2015.

• The last TBM to excavate and build for this line was commissioned from the Chirag Delhi station on February 10. For images and details, see: Last TBM Commissioned for Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line at Chirag Delhi.

With a mid-May 2016 deadline for both contractors of CC-23 and CC-27, construction of the underground component of this line is progressing a couple of months behind schedule.  Trial runs on the elevated part (Kalindi Kunj-Kalkaji) are expected to begin by the middle of the year and operations possibly in/by December, but the underground section (Kalkaji – Janakpuri W) will only start operations in the first half of 2017.

If you have any questions or need specific TBM launch/breakthrough info, then please leave a comment below!

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

– TMRG

written by

Global traveler who prefers mass rapid transit

12 Responses to "Delhi Metro Phase 3 – April 2016 Tunneling Update"

  1. Kamal says:

    Hello,

    This is April. And many people must have missed their financial deadline of March. But u never miss your deadline. Once again a great job by u to keep all updated that too on 1st day of the month.

    No specific questions this time. But I hope Delhi metro too learns to respect their deadlines , just like you.

    Thanks

    Reply
    • TMRG says:

      Thanks for your message! Even though the DMRC keeps their contractors on a tight leash to get work done, most of the current big issues are beyond their control such as tough geology or the government’s slum rehab policy. They recently acknowledged the delay in commissioning the Pink line, so I’m actually quite glad they aren’t making unrealistic promises like elsewhere.

      Reply
  2. Vipin says:

    Pink line operational deadline is December 2016, right?.. Can you share the source of driverless hyundai rotem metro..How it will be look like from inside (I know this description)

    Reply
  3. LakshmanPST says:

    I have a doubt…
    Where is the Depot for Dwarka-Najafgarh line…???

    Are they going to use the existing Depot at Najafgarh for Blue Line…?

    Reply
  4. S P PANDEY says:

    What is the schedule for Kalindikunj – Botanical Garden Section. Pl include the updates for the section in future bulletins.

    Reply
  5. S P PANDEY says:

    Pl tell the progress of Kalindikunj – Botanical Garden section of Delhi Metro phase III. Please include it all your monthly reports.

    Reply
  6. Subeena says:

    When do you reasonably expect pink line (Naraina viharstop) to be operational?
    Thanks!

    Reply

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