TBM S496 Makes a Breakthrough at Delhi Metro’s Gurdwara Shaft

Last week, TBM S496 – the 3rd tunnel boring machine operated by the CEC-CICI JV made a breakthrough at the Delhi Metro’s Gurdwara Emergency Shaft in north Delhi’s Rameshwar Nagar for package CC-04 of the 160 km Phase 3 project. This TBM was commissioned from the Majlis Park Ramp in April 2016 and is the 2nd of 2 ‘rescue’ TBMs to be leased from the HCC-Samsung JV (CC-34 on Magenta Line) and deployed for constructing the pending 600m down-line tunnel of the 58.596 km Pink Line‘s Majlis Park – Azadpur section.

For further reading on the Gurdwara Shaft and why this shaft became necessary to be constructed for commercial operations to begin on the Pink Line, see the following posts:

• 1st Rescue TBM Commissioned for Delhi Metro’s Pink Line

• Last TBM Commissioned for Delhi Metro’s Pink Line at Majlis Park

• Excavation Begins for Delhi Metro’s Rameshwar Nagar Mid-Shaft

• Excavation Begins for Last Level of Delhi Metro’s Gurdwara Shaft

cc-04map

CC-04 between Shalimar Bagh & Majlis Park – view Delhi Metro Phase 3 map & information

TBM’s cutterhead surrounded by slurry

post-clean up

The up-line tunnel of this section was constructed by TBMs S495 (rescue) and S781 (original) which made breakthroughs in November-December 2016. Here’s a post-cleanup image shot from S781’s tunnel looking into the Gurdwara Shaft and further into the tunnel built by S495. There are still no signs of track-work here, so it it’s unlikely that we’ll anytime soon even see the new Hyundai Rotem trains being pushed through the tunnels for testing the Azadpur – west Delhi section of the line.

With this breakthrough out of the way, now only TBM S780 – one of the original TBMs deployed from Azadpur needs to make a breakthrough and have its parts retrieved. As per one source, the contractor plans to leave the TBM’s shell behind & only retrieve its internal parts. Its back-up gantry was removed from its rear-end and out of the Azadpur Station’s TBM shaft in late 2015.

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

– TMRG

written by

Global traveler who prefers mass rapid transit

26 Responses to "TBM S496 Makes a Breakthrough at Delhi Metro’s Gurdwara Shaft"

  1. Rajneesh Yadav says:

    congrats to CEC and all team members

    Reply
  2. Siddharth says:

    Pls. Give detail update about magenta line also.Do trials begin on IGD-kalkaji section.

    Reply
    • TMRG says:

      All tunnels have been built and currently interior finishing works + sub-system (tracks, signalling, telecommunications etc) installation is going on. And no, trial runs on IGD-Kalkaji have not started.

      Reply
  3. Sushil says:

    Congrats CEC, for the achievement which was most awaited.

    Reply
  4. Amrit Partap Singh Minhas says:

    Nice write up..!

    Reply
  5. Aakash Yadav says:

    What about trial runs on pink line now ?????

    Reply
    • TMRG says:

      Give it another 3-4 more months? Looks like they’re waiting for the 4th TBM to come out before even sending a train down through the ‘freed up’ tunnel shown above. As per some Twitter followers, electrification on the Mukundpur and Shakurpur ramps has not been completed yet.

      Reply
      • Aakash Yadav says:

        Hii TMRG the OHE work is started at Sakarpur ramp and the texture paint working n FOB work also started at Rajouri Garden metro station of pink line so now when the trial run starts on pink line ????

        Reply
        • TMRG says:

          Like I said, give it 3+ months. The start of testing on the north-west-south Delhi section of the line is primarily dependent on the construction & freeing up of the tunnels between Azadpur – Majlis Park.

          Reply
  6. Siddhant Kumar says:

    When will kalkaji botanical garden section of magenta line start. On which trials are going on.

    Reply
    • TMRG says:

      Sometime around May-June? Testing is complete & all stations are ready except for Kalkaji and NSIC Okhla.

      Reply
  7. Aakash Yadav says:

    How much time last TBM takes to retrieved on pink line ?????

    Reply
    • TMRG says:

      S780 should be out within the next 1 month after they’re done dismantling S496 and retrieving its parts. That TBM is one of the original TBMs deployed for CC-04 and has been sitting at the same spot for about 2 years now.

      Reply
  8. Shobhit says:

    Hey TMRG, Do You have any information regarding the progress of Metro Extension in Ghaziabad ?

    Reply
    • TMRG says:

      Hi, I haven’t heard of any plans to extend the Red Line beyond the New Bus Adda Station. There are however plans to extend the Blue Line’s branches from both Vaishali and Noida Sec-62 to Mohan Nagar. Both are in the ‘proposal’ stage right now.

      Reply
      • Shobhit says:

        Thanks for the information. It will be of great help if you can provide any updates regarding the completion status of Red Line extension.

        Reply
        • TMRG says:

          Yup, will do as soon as there’s something to write about. Till then, see/follow my Twitter account – I share images from time to time.

          Reply
      • Mayank Singh says:

        Will it be added in phase 4 plan? Are there any chances?

        Reply
        • TMRG says:

          It could be added at a later stage if the GDA shows interest, releases funds for its DPR and then releases funds for its construction.

          Reply
  9. Shikhar says:

    What is the status of land acquisition issue at trilokpuri? Has the demolition of buildings started?

    Reply
  10. Shikhar says:

    What is the status of land acquisition issue at Trilokpuri? Has the demolition of buildings started yet?

    Reply
    • Manu Nair says:

      No, the demolitions have not yet taken place. Alternative accommodation is being built opposite to the area in concern. What I got to know is that perhaps the line will be kept ready till the mayur vihar pocket 1 station for the trials to start and therefore line reversal facilities have been added there. TMRG, can you confirm this development?

      Reply
      • TMRG says:

        Hi, I don’t have an update on Trilokpuri. The good news is that demolition at Hasanpur has commenced! With this, the DMRC will be able to launch operations from IP extension to Maujpur in 2018 when the gaps at Hasanpur and Anand Vihar are filled.

        Reply
  11. Aakash Yadav says:

    When will OHE work completed from Sakarpur ramp to Mukundpur metro Depot on pink line ?????

    Reply
  12. Aakash Yadav says:

    How much time DMRC take to complete OHE work from Sakarpur ramp to Mukundpur ramp ??????

    Reply
  13. Rohit Mattoo says:

    TMRG PLEASE CONFIRM BY WHEN THIS GREATER NOIDA METRO AND YAMUNA VIHAR METRO WILL BE OPERATIONAL.

    Reply

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