Afcons’ Delhi-Meerut RRTS TBM S89 Lowered for Final Drive

Afcons Infrastructure this week started lowering parts of tunnel boring machine Sudarshan 8.2 (TBM S89) at Bhaisali Station for constructing 82.15 km Delhi – Meerut RRTS project Package 8’s underground tunnels.

This 7.51m diameter Terratec Earth Pressure Balance (EPB) machine had recorded its first breakthrough at Meerut Central Station in February 2022 after tunneling 1839m from Bhaisali Station.

Afcons took less than a months to retrieve the machine’s parts from Meerut Central, transport it back to Bhaisali, and start lowering its parts for recommissioning. By month-end, it will be relaunched for Package 8’s 6th and final drive towards Begumpul – a distance of roughly 1 kilometer.

National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) had awarded Afcons with Package 8’s Rs. 1529.10 crore contract in November 2020 with a 1310 day (3.6 year) deadline.

Their scope includes constructing six twin tunnels from Brahampuri DN Ramp to Begumpul UP Ramp with 3 underground stations at Meerut Central, Bhaisali & Begumpul by cut & cover method.

Afcons has so far recorded 3 out of 6 breakthroughs, with the last one taking place at Meerut Central Station by TBM S89. At the time of writing this, 2 TBMs (S88 & S90) are currently excavating while 1 TBM (S89) has been lowered – all for their final drives.

In case you missed it, Afcons Infrastructure in February started pouring first-stage invert concrete inside the down-line tunnel between Begumpul Ramp and Begumpal Station to facilitate track-laying work by Larsen & Toubro as part of Package 17.

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– TMRG