Afcons Lowers Delhi Metro Silver Line Package DC-07’s 1st TBM

Afcons Infrastructure on Friday started lowering parts of TBM 372, the first tunnel boring machine for Package DC-07, at Airforce Launch Shaft of Delhi Metro’s 23.622 km Silver Line which will connect Aerocity – Tughalakabad via 16 stations.

This refurbished 6.5m diameter Earth Pressure Balance (EPB) machine by Robbins is the first of four machines to be deployed by Afcons for building twin tunnels on the 65.1 km Delhi Metro Phase 4 project‘s 6.981 km Package DC-07 between Sangam Vihar Station and Sarita Vihar Depot.

The machine had passed factory acceptance tests (FAT) at Robbins’ yard in Gurgaon in February 2023, while Afcons’ team cast the Airforce Launch Shaft’s base slab, just east of Sangam Vihar Station, in April to receive the machine.

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation had awarded Afcons with Package DC-07’s Rs. 1669.20 crore contract in January 2022.

Afcons’ 6.981 km Package DC-07 will connect Sangam Vihar Station’s east-end and Sarita Vihar Depot via 3 stations at Maa Anandmayee Marg, Tughlakabad Railway Colony, and Tughlakabad where it will form an interchange with the Violet Line’s station built in Phase 2.

The rest of 372’s shields and cutterhead will be lowered in the coming days and assembled for commissioning, which I expect should happen in early June.

TBM 372 is overall the 2nd of at least 10 machines of the line to be lowered. Back in February 2023, Larsen & Toubro working on 6.51 km Package DC-09 (Kishangarh – Saket G Block) lowered their first TBM at Chhatarpur and started tunneling works in March.

For more updates, check out the Delhi Metro section or my Home Page! Sign up for free instant email notifications on new posts over here. Like this post? Get early-access to updates and support the site over here.

– TMRG