TBM S711 Lowered into Chennai Metro’s Washermenpet Shaft

After making a breakthrough at Central Station for Chennai Metro’s UAA-01 project in November 2016, Tunnel Boring Machine S711’s parts have now been brought to the Washermenpet Station on the same line and lowered into its northern shaft to construct the tunnels for package UAA-08 of the recently launched Phase 1 extension project.

The 2.4 km package UAA-08 is part of the 9.1 km northern extension of the 23.10 km Chennai Airport – Washermenpet line to Wimco Nagar which was approved by the Central Government in December 2015.  The underground section, between Washermenpet and Korrukupet, includes the construction of approximately 1500m twin tunnels and 2 new stations at Sir Theagaraya College & Korrukupet. Bids for this package (UAA-08) were invited in December 2015 after which Afcons Infrastructure was awarded the tunnel contract in June 2016.

Recent satellite imagery of the extremely narrow launch shaft:

Package UAA08: Washermenpet – Korrukupet – view Chennai Metro map & information

Besides this TBM, the Afcons Infra team will use an unnamed mixed ground Robbins TBM which was previously used to construct both May Day Park shaft – Central Station tunnels of package UAA-01.  That TBM’s parts have already been lowered into the shaft and now assembly work is underway for both TBMs with an expected commissioning time frame of March/April 2017 towards their first destination – Sir Theagaraya College Station.

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

– TMRG