Tata’s Chennai Metro Phase 2 TBM S96 Records Breakthrough

Tata Projects Ltd. (TPL) on Monday celebrated tunnel boring machine S96’s first breakthrough for the 116.1 km Chennai Metro Phase 2 project at Madhavaram High Road Station.

Nicknamed TBM Nilgiri, this Ø6.61m diameter Terratec Earth Pressure Balance machine in October 2022 became the first of Chennai’s 23 TBMs to start tunneling work.

The machine was commissioned from 45.4 km Line-3’s Madhavaram Milk Colony Station and traveled approximately 1.4 kms southward to build the up-line tunnel towards Kelly’s.

Chennai Metro Rail Ltd. (CMRL) had awarded Tata Projects with Package TU-01’s Rs. 1999 crore contract in May 2021 with a 42 month deadline.

TBM Nilgiri along with 6 other TBMs will build approximately 9 km twin tunnels (total 18 km) on Line-3’s Venugopal Nagar – Kellys underground section. The scope also includes construction of diaphragm walls, entry/exit structures of Madhavaram Milk Colony Station, Murari Hospital Station, Ayanavaram Station and Purasaiwakkam High Road Station.

A video of the breakthrough posted by CMRL can be viewed here.

I hear TBM S97 (TBM Podhigai) working on the parallel down-line tunnel has completed 873 meters, so roughly a little more than halfway to this shaft.

Back in June, the project’s 1st breakthrough was recorded by TBM S98 (TBM Anaimalai) from Madhavaram Milk Colony to Venugopal Nagar Shaft. The 3rd and next one will likely be by TBM Servarayan (TBM S99) working on the parallel tunnel towards Venugopal Nagar Shaft.

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– TMRG