L&T’s TBM Vindhya Starts Tunneling for Bangalore Metro at Cantt
Engineers from Larsen & Toubro last week commissioned Tunnel Boring Machine Vindhya (DZ671) from Cantonment Station for building tunnels on the 21.386 km Line-4 (Reach 6 / Pink Line) of the 73.92 km Bangalore Metro Phase 2 project.
Like TBM Avni at Shivajinagar, this TBM was commissioned without any major celebratory launch event or even a press release by the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. The BMRCL imposed a strict gag order banning the use of electronics in and around their sites after a sinkhole emerged at Shivajinagar, so I don’t have any images to share at this time. If and when they do become available, I’ll add them in here or tweet them out.
With this, Vindhya has now become the third machine, after TBM Urja (DZ670) and TBM Avni (DZ669), to start excavation works on the 13.885 km underground section and the second machine on the 2.884 km Package RT-03 (Shivajinagar – Tannery Road) which was awarded by BMRCL in February 2019.
As of Tuesday, Vindhya had built 5 temporary rings within the station, each comprising of 5 segments + 1 smaller ‘key’ segment. For whatever it’s worth, here’s a snap from September with Vindhya lined up on the left and the tunnel rings built by Urja on the right.
This Ø6.67m slurry machine (DZ671) was manufactured by China Railway Construction Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. (CRCHI) and lowered into the Cantonment Station’s southern-end in May 2020.
Like Urja, it will first travel roughly 860 meters to Shivajinagar, and then be brought back to the Cantonment Station for building tunnels towards Pottery Town and Tannery Road stations. Per BMRCL’s earlier press release for TBM Urja, the “expected geology in this tunnel section is about 250m in Hard Rock, 350m in mixed-ground conditions and about 255m in soil.“
In other Phase 2 news, I hear the BMRCL on Monday invited the Commissioner for Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) to inspect the Green Line’s 6.29 km Yelachenahalli – Anjanapura section for date(s), that are unknown to me, after Dussehra (October 25). Also, Rina Services S.p.A. – the Independent Safety Assessor (ISA) – plans to submit their system integration and testing report on October 16. I was a little surprised the invite was sent without it, but I guess BMRCL wanted to first secure the date(s).
For more updates, check out the Bangalore section of The Metro Rail Guy!
– TMRG
Good. So now just Lavi is left. Then Afcons and ITD TBMs…
Good we have TBM mfd in India. Then why not go for slurry machines also? We are on path of Atmanirbhar Bharat! Well done L&T and kudos to those who posed faith in the company.
For your Information, most of TBM’s which were used for the Metro tunnels are made in China. Yeah, it’s true that other countries like Germany, US and Japan also make Tbm’s but they are really expensive, compare to the Cheaper Chinese TBM’s and that is the main reason, why most of the TBM’s for Indian Metro Projects are mostly imported from China.Also, India doesn’t have any Technology to make TBM’s yet. In order to make Atmarnibar Bharat successful, 1st we need to buy Technology to make TBM’s and become self-dependent on Infrastructure, coz Infrastructure is what really matters.
You have hit the nail on the faked Atmanirbhartha.😂
Atmanirbharta is a process, and a long drawn yes we didn’t focus all these while depending on Chinese equipment, now we have started to focus and you will see the results. For your information, indian imports from China is down by 30%. Refer to ministry of commerce.
The point of “Aatmnirbharata” is the adoption of self-reliance within a realistic framework. If our companies doesn’t make TBMs, it’s fine to source them from foreign vendors with best deals to give. It does not dilute the motto “self-reliance”. There is no point being caught up in the two extremes of defeatism and jingoism.
It’s not fake atmanirbhara it’s process has started kudos to govt
I think this is due to lack of interest by heavy industrial engineering firms in the manufacture of such machines. China has a large high speed Railway network, which supports the industrial demand for such machines plus they have “relationships” with several minnow nations in which they support infrastructure projects that in which Chinese companies participate.
Metro construction is our country has only picked up pace in recent decade and just like now indigeneous private firms like Titagarh and Medha have started coming forward to manufacture metro, sub-urban train rakes, this would happen to.
Tbm4hai ya3
Actually L&T 4 TBM’s ko use karegi, unme se 3 tbm ne tunneling start kar di hai. Ab sirf, TBM Lavi (4thTBM) ko commission karna baaki hai
So it means tbm urja has completed 50 rings?
Yup, at least 50 to be out of Vindhya’s influence zone.
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I know this is not a MetroRail (and the fact that this is themetrorailguy 🙂 ), but can you also add information about the Bangalore suburban network ?
Hi, details on it are sketchy. For example, I don’t believe it’s even a semi high speed rail project. As more official info emerges, I’ll likely create a basic information page.
Yup, I think lines for phase 1 is out now. You’re right, its not semi high speed..