L&T’s 1st Chennai Metro Robbins TBM 408-1 Passes Factory Tests

Tunnel boring machine manufacturer Robbins Company in Kancheepuram last month completed factory acceptance tests (FAT) on 408-1 – their 1st of 2 machines for Package TU02 of the 118.9 km Chennai Metro Phase 2 project.

This Ø6.65m XRE Robbins machine will be deployed by Larsen & Toubro along with 7 other TBMs to construct approximately 12 km twin tunnels (total 24 km) on the new 45.813 km Line-3 between Kellys and Taramani Road Junction stations.

Chennai Metro Rail Ltd. (CMRL) had awarded L&T with Package TU-02’s Rs. 2385 crore contract in May 2021 with a 42 month deadline.

This machine (likely named Bhavani) along with its sister Robbins machine (likely named Thamirabharani) will first bore from Chetpet towards KMC – a distance of roughly 900 meters.

Besides constructing twin tunnels between Kellys and Taramani Road Junction, L&T will build diaphragm walls, entry/exit structures of Chetpet Station, Royapettah Government Hospital Station, Thiruvanmiyu Station, and part diaphragm wall of Greenways Road Station, including launching and retrieval shafts at the above stations.

Here are some snaps from L&T’s yard located in Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu

Besides 2 Robbins machines, L&T will deploy 4 Herrenknecht machines and 2 CRCHI machines.

Here’s a status table of all machines in Package TU-02 which is best viewed on a Desktop device. If you spot discrepancies or can help fill in the unknowns, then drop a comment below or shoot me a message via the Contact page.

TBM (Nickname)	Status
Herrenknecht S1326A (Adyar)	Lowered at Greenways (will bore towards Adyar Junction)
Herrenknecht S1327A (Kaveri)	Launched from Greenways towards Adyar Junction
Herrenknecht S1238A (Noyyal)	Launched from Greenways towards Mandaveli
Herrenknecht S1329A (Vaigai)	Lowered at Greenways (will bore towards Mandaveli)
CRCHI DZ1040 (Siruvani)	Lowered at Chetpet towards Sterling
CRCHI DZ1041 (Palar)	Lowered at Chetpet towards Sterling
Robbins 408 (Bhavani)	Passed Factory Acceptance Tests (will bore from Chetpet towards KMC)
Robbins (unknown serial) (Thamirabharani)	Pending Factory Acceptance Tests (will bore from Chetpet towards KMC)

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– TMRG