Terratec Completes Factory Testing 1st New TBM for Mumbai Metro

Australia-based tunnel boring machine (TBM) manufacturer Terratec has completed factory acceptance tests (FAT) for the first of five new TBMs at their Guangzhou facility in China which will be used to build a section of Mumbai Metro’s 33.5 km Line-3 tunnels between Cuffe Parade and Aarey Colony.

Christened T58, this Ø6.68m dual-mode TBM will be deployed by the Hindustan Construction Company – OSJC Moscow Metrostroy JV to exclusively build twin tunnels on the line’s 4.049 km package UGC-02 (Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminal Station – Mumbai Central TBM receiving shaft) which was awarded by the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. in July 2016.

Next in line is TBM T59, which like its sister machine T58, will be first deployed from the CST TBM launch shaft in October towards the Kalbadevi Station and onward to the Mumbai Central Station for a total of 4 tunneling drives (each) over the course of the project. In the coming months, Terratec from the same facility will deliver 3 new TBMs to the J Kumar-CRTG JV for building tunnels on the line’s package UGC-05/06 (Dharavi – CSIA – Marol Naka).

UGC-02: CST – Mumbai Central section of Line-3 – view Mumbai Metro map & info

Some images of TBM T58 shot after assembly and prior to FAT –

TBM T58 – Photo Copyright: MMRCL

Photo Copyright: MMRCL

In May, the HCC-OJSC JV began casting work for approximately 2700 segments at Wadala which will be fed and erected by T58 & T59 to build the line’s tunnels – see images here.

All 5 contractors of the line plan to deploy a total of 17 TBMs to construct it. In June, Herrenknecht rolled out their 1st new TBM for use on package UGC-04, and in early-July Terratec completed factory testing two refurbished TBMs for package UGC-05/06 in Delhi.

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

– TMRG