Mumbai Metro’s NATM Stabling Lines at Cuffe Parade Near Completion
Workers from Larsen & Toubro – Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Co. (L&T – STEC JV) are rushing to complete a pair of stabling lines at Cuffe Parade on Mumbai Metro’s 33.5 km Line-3 (Aqua Line) which’ll connect Cuffe Parade – Bandra Kurla Complex – Aarey Colony.
These roughly 190 meter stabling lines start at the extreme southern-end of the 405 meter long Cuffe Parade Station box and were built using the New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM).
They will be used to stable a few Alstom train-sets overnight for the morning’s first services. A scissors cross-over will come up just north of the tunnels’ entrance to allow trains to switch tracks (or turn back) between the up-line and down-line during regular train operations.
These tunnels are part of the 4.25 km Package UGC-01 which was awarded to L&T-STEC in July 2016. The scope of that package includes building the line’s tunnels with 4 stations at Cuffe Parade, Vidhan Bhavan, Churchgate and Hutatma Chowk. L&T – STEC is being assisted by a Detailed Design Consultant (DDC) team from Systra MVA Consulting India.
With excavation works long completed, workers have now moved onto waterproofing and secondary concrete-lining the tunnel. Within the up-line tunnel, about 60 meters is now complete.
Here’s a snap I shared on Twitter when one of the tunnels was being waterproofed in March using a synthetic membrane of plasticized PVC:
Here are some recent snaps of the up-line tunnel:
For more updates, check out the Mumbai section of The Metro Rail Guy!
– TMRG
Very happy about the fast progress, just the government make a decision on the Aarey Depot ASAP. If this not happen, then it will never inaugurate.
Best news during the pandemic,the depot work a quick decision is necessary not playing to the gallery.
Well begun is half done. Aarey dippo must be completed as early as possible.