Delhi Metro Phase 3 – December 2016 Tunneling Update

After a 4 month break due to a lack of big-ticket updates, here’s my Delhi Metro Phase 3 tunneling update for December 2016. In the past month, final TBM breakthroughs have been achieved on the Pink Line & Magenta Line leaving just 1 more TBM breakthrough pending on the Dwarka – Najafgarh line. In late November, the DMRC bizarrely announced that Phase 3’s tunneling works are over and Delhi’s clueless journalists, not surprisingly, reproduced that one-by-one in all leading newspapers without performing any independent verification.

All the information in this post is accurate as of December 1 and details from the  previous update in August 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 and with some places requiring multiple TBMs to build 1 tunnel (eg. Vasant Vihar – Munirka’s down-line tunnel required 2 TBMs & both tunnels of Mukundpur-Azadpur required 4 TBMs) – that brings it up to a total of 80 tunneling drives.

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

• In late November, the Era – Mestrostroy JV completed excavating a pair of 220m tunnels north of the Kashmere Gate using the sequential New Austrian Tunneling Method – see details & images.

In November, DMRC first blamed delays on demonitization and then later on a 7 day construction ban (which btw wasn’t adhered to) due to smog in region and hinted at a January-end opening for the 5.37 km ITO – Kashmere Gate section. However, with (1) a lot of finishing works still pending at Lal Qila station, Kashmere Gate station and the Harayana Canal Shaft (2) integrated trial runs along the entire stretch yet to commence, and (3) the time taken to apply for the CMRS’ safety inspection, conduct and approve the line for commercial operations, a January-end opening will just not be possible.

Projected Opening: Q2-Q3 2017

Pink Line – Line 7 – Mukundpur – Shiv Vihar

Contract	Contractor	Station/Shaft	Station/Shaft	Status
CC-04	CEC – CICI	Majlis Park Shaft	Azadpur	Complete
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	Complete
CC-24	J Kumar – CRTG	Ashram	Hazrat Nizamuddin	Complete

Number of Pending TBM Breakthroughs: 3

• Since the August update, a double TBM breakthrough has been recorded at Vinobhapuri to mark the end of tunneling works on this line. See details & images here: Final Double TBM Breakthrough Achieved for Delhi Metro’s Pink Line

• Excavation work at the Gurdwara Emergency Shaft between Majlis Park – Azadpur is in its final stage. As per reports I’ve received, parts of the 1st of 4 TBMs (S781) have been lifted out with 3 more pending. I’ll share images whenever they’re available.

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, were still under construction. As things stand right now, this line’s construction (both underground & elevated) is running more than 1.5 years behind schedule.

Projected Opening: The line will open in stages with a final opening estimated to take place in the 2nd half of 2018. The first stretch between Mukundpur – Vinobhapuri is expected to open either by 2017-end or in Q1 2018 depending on the progress made at the Gurdwara Emergency Shaft. The rest of the line’s opening will take place in 2018 and depends largely on the progress made at Trilokpuri (demolition is yet to start), Vinod Nagar (NH24), IP Extension and the Anand Vihar railway station.

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	Complete
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: 0

• 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 November, the final TBM breakthrough of this line took place at Munirka. See details and images: Final TBM Breakthrough Achieved for Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line

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 Q1 2018:
Botanical Garden – Kalkaji Mandir: Q2 2017
Kalkaji Mandir – Janakpuri West: 2017-end or Q1 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. TBM S197 completed building the west-bound tunnel on June 25, 2016 and was subsequently relaunched in September. As of December 1, only 148 rings (207m) are pending and the contractor is looking to make a final breakthrough by December 25 which would mark an end to Phase 3’s tunneling works.

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 2018

If you have any questions or need specific TBM launch/breakthrough info, then please leave a comment below. For images from construction sites and more news, see my Twitter feed.

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

– TMRG