TBM Makes Breakthrough at Delhi Metro’s Najafgarh Station

On this past Saturday morning, Tunnel Boring Machine S197 deployed by HCC Ltd for contract CC-66 of Delhi Metro’s Phase 3 project made its first successful breakthrough in Najafgarh! This EPBM TBM was originally commissioned from the Sai Baba Shaft on November 2 2015 and completed tunneling 665 meters (475 rings) for the westbound down-line tunnel of the 4.3 km Dwarka-Najafgarh line.

The breakthrough took place at a shaft adjacent to the local Hanuman Mandir, just east of the Najafgarh station. Google Maps is yet to update its imagery since excavation started in mid 2015:

Alignment of Dwarka - Najafgarh line - view Delhi Metro Phase 3 information & map

Alignment of Dwarka – Najafgarh line – view Delhi Metro Phase 3 information & map

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Photo Copyright: Ravinder Rawal

NajafarhMetroTBM2

Photo Copyright: Ravinder Rawal

NajafarhMetroTBM3

Photo Copyright: Ravinder Rawal

NajafarhMetroTBM4

Photo Copyright: Ravinder Rawal

NajafarhMetroTBM5

Photo Copyright: Rahul Panday

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Photo Copyright: Anas Maliyekkal

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Photo Copyright: Sambit Bhaduri

A post-breakthrough video can be seen here.

Since a single TBM is being used by the contractor, the TBM will now be pushed out, u-turned & launched once again to finish the parallel east-bound up-line tunnel. All of these activities along with some minor repair work are expected to take a total of 3 months.

Track-laying work on the elevated section (Dwarka-Nangli) of this line started earlier this month (see images). The Delhi Metro Rail Corportation has not yet communicated if they’ll begin commercial operations to Nangli Metro station or wait until all tunneling works to the Najafgarh station are completed. If they choose to wait, then trains will start running through this corridor only in 2018.

For more updates, check out the Delhi section of The Metro Rail Guy!

– TMRG

written by

Global traveler who prefers mass rapid transit

8 Responses to "TBM Makes Breakthrough at Delhi Metro’s Najafgarh Station"

  1. harsh says:

    Hi, TMRG pls give update on bhikaji cama place 2nd tbm. and what is the deadline of completing stations from bhikaji cama place to lajpat nagar metro station.

    Reply
    • TMRG says:

      Hi, 2nd TBM had a mechanical problem for 2 weeks, but is now tunneling again. Expect some good news this week 🙂 BCP-LN section had a deadline of May 18.

      Reply
      • TMRG says:

        Update – there’s a salary issue raging within Pratibha (contractor for BCP-LN section) and its engineers have refused to finish tunneling. There’s literally only 20 m more to go. This will take some more time.

        Reply
  2. Aishwarye says:

    Hi!, can you please tell me the work left in the opening up of violet line’s ITO – Kashmere Gate stretch and where exactly will the violet line interchange at kashmere gate, because we already have a yellow line going through the underground part?

    Reply
    • Mayur says:

      It will be on opposite side to I.S.BT

      Reply
    • TMRG says:

      Lots pending. Station finishing, civil work for covering shafts & building entry/exit gates, track-laying work is left. The new station box is to the east of the Yellow Line’s station box, so you should be able to easily interchange from within the platform just how it’s done at Central Secretariat (Yellow<->Violet).

      Reply
  3. Aditya says:

    The yellow line station in kashmere gate is an island type with tracks on the outside, so how can we interchange to violet line station from the platform level coz the yellow line platform is in the middle. In central secreteriat the platforns are on the outer side. I think the interchange will be from the underground concourse level. Can you clarify?

    Reply
    • TMRG says:

      You’re absolutely right 🙂 The Violet Line’s station will also have island platforms, so users will have to come up to the concourse level.

      Reply

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