Delhi Metro Phase 3 – August 2016 Tunneling Update

Here’s my Delhi Metro Phase 3 tunneling update for August 2016!

All the information in this post is accurate as of August 1 and details from the July 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.

According to the DMRC, 48.06 km of the 190 km Phase 1 & 2 network is underground. In Phase 3, 53.835 km of the 160.574 km project 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:

Violet Line – Line 6 – Central Secretariat – 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 – 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.

• The final TBM breakthrough for this line took place at the Delhi Gate station’s TBM receiving shaft in mid March: TBM Makes Final Breakthrough at Delhi Metro’s Delhi Gate Station

• TMRG reader Anuj Mittal recently snapped this image of the Kashmere Gate station’s box from the Red Line’s eastbound platform. The contractor here is yet to cover up the station’s box, waterproof it and back-fill soil back on top of it.

After many missed deadlines, the DMRC has once again revised this line’s deadline and is now targeting a November completion. This extension of the Violet Line is already delayed by 1 year.

Projected Opening: Q1-Q2 2017

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	Complete
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 (includes 4 at Rameshwar Nagar Midshaft)

• Since the July update, 1 TBM breakthrough took place:
TBM Makes 2nd Breakthrough at Delhi Metro’s Bhikaji Cama Place Station

• In the middle of June, excavation works commenced at the Rameshwar Nagar Midshaft (between Majlis Park – Azadpur) from where 4 TBMs will be retrieved in the coming months. As of August 1, excavation is still being performed.

• On the Vinobhapuri – Ashram section, as of last night: 508/689 and 492/682 rings have been erected. This section has been quite painful and financial draining for the contractor with frequent interventions required to change the cutterhead’s cutting discs.

The DMRC  launched “trial runs” from the Mukundpur Depot in an elaborate event held in May, but it was just for show (see details) as the CC-04 tunnels (right outside the depot) are still under construction. As things stand right now, this line’s construction (both underground & elevated) is running more than 1 year behind schedule.

Projected Opening: The line will open in stages with a final opening estimated to take place in Q2 2018.

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	Complete
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	Complete
CC-23	Pratibha – FEMC	Greater Kailash	Nehru Enclave	Complete
CC-23	Pratibha – FEMC	Nehru Enclave	Kalkaji Mandir	Complete
CC-23	Pratibha – FEMC	Kalkaji Mandir	Lotus Temple Shaft	Complete

Number of Pending TBM Breakthroughs: 1

• 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

• In July, 1 TBM breakthrough took place:
TBM Makes 2nd Breakthrough at Delhi Metro’s RKP Mid-Shaft

• Only 1 TBM breakthrough is now pending on the entire line. This final breakthrough will take place at the Munirka station for the down-line tunnel between Vasant Vihar & Munirka. As of July 29, 470/904 rings (658/1265m) have been built.

Overall, this line’s construction is progressing more than 1 year behind schedule.

Projected Opening: The line will open in stages with a final opening estimated to take place in Q2 2018.

Line 9 – Dwarka – Najafgarh

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

Number of Pending TBM Breakthroughs: 1

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. The S197 TBM began tunneling for the westbound down-line tunnel on November 2 2015 and made a successful breakthrough on June 25. The TBM is currently being refurbished and will be taken back to the Sai Baba shaft from where it will commissioned once again to excavate the parallel up-line tunnel.

This line was recently officially designated as Line 9 and its construction is progressing a couple months behind schedule. As per one news source, the line will be called Grey Line. The DMRC is yet to officially confirm that.

Projected Opening: Q1-Q2 2018

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

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

– TMRG