1st TBM for Delhi – Meerut RRTS’ Package 8 Lowered at Bhaisali

A day after STEC commissioned their 1st TBM, Afcons Infrastructure on Friday started lowering parts of TBM S88 – their first tunnel boring machine for the 5.68 km underground Package 8 of the 82.15 km Delhi – Meerut (RRTS) project.

Terratec had completed factory acceptance tests (FAT) in Q4 2021 for Afcons’ 3 new 7.51m diameter TBMs S88 (Sudarshan 8.1), S89 (Sudarshan 8.2) and S90 (Sudarshan 8.3).

These Earth Pressure Balance (EPB) machines will be deployed in Meerut city to build 6 tunnels between Meerut Central – Bhaisali – Begumpul.

Afcons was awarded Package 8’s Rs. 1529.10 crore contract in November 2020 with a 1310 day (3.6 year) deadline. Their scope includes constructing twin tunnels from Brahampuri DN Ramp to Begumpul UP Ramp with 3 underground stations at Meerut Central, Bhaisali & Begumpul by cut & cover method.

Per the tunneling plan, TBM S88 and later S89 will build the tunnels from Bhaisali Station towards Meerut Central Station – a distance of 1823.39 meters. Along the way, they will make a pit-stop at a mid-shaft located 695.85 meters south of Bhaisali.

Afcons plans to commission Sudarshan 8.1 on April 1 and complete tunneling works on October 11 – in just 6 months. Whether that happens or not, we shall find out!

As shared earlier, the project’s Terratec TBMs with a diameter of 7.51m will be slightly larger than typical metro TBMs (ranging 6.45m to 6.68m) to allow the line’s Alstom semi high-speed & MRTS trains to operate with sufficient clearance.

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– TMRG