Afcons’ Delhi Metro Silver Line TBM S1264B Passes Factory Tests
Afcons Infrastructure with assistance from Herrenknecht last week completed factory acceptance tests (FAT) on TBM S-1264B for constructing Delhi Metro’s 23.622 km Silver Line which will connect Aerocity – Tughalakabad via 16 stations.
This refurbished Earth Pressure Balance (EPB) machine is the second of four machines to pass FAT 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 was previously deployed with an Indian-flag themed cutterhead as “TBM Varada” to build tunnels on Bangalore Metro Phase 2 Pink Line’s 3.655 km Package RT-01. Between March 2021 and September 2022, it built 596m long twin tunnels connecting Rashtriya Military School Station and Langford Town Station.
Following its final breakthrough at Langford Town, the machine was dismantled and taken to Afcons’ yard in Butibori, on the outskirts of Nagpur, for storage and refurbishment.
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) had awarded Package DC-07’s Rs. 1669.20 crore contract to Afcons Infrastructure in January 2022 with a 42 month deadline.
Package DC-07 connects 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 elevated station built in Delhi Metro’s Phase 2.
As shared above, this is Afcons’ 2nd of 4 machines to pass FAT for this package. They’ll be deploying another Robbins machine (TBM 364) and another refurbished Herrenknecht machine TBM S-711 from Chennai Metro’s Phase 1.
S1264B’s launch location remains unknown to me, but will likely be the Airforce Launch Shaft, just east of Sangam Vihar Station, from where TBM 372 (Amrit) was commissioned in May 2023 towards Maa Anandmayee Marg Station.
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– TMRG
Total how many TBMs in PH-4?
15 machines
DC-05 (Magenta) – 4
DC-06 (Magenta) – 1 (tunneling completed)
DC-07 (Silver) – 4
DC-08 (Silver) – 3
DC-09 (Silver) – 3
This project was passed in Dec 2018 by Delhi Govt and Centre passed in Mar 2019.
If after almost 5 yrs, rather than project completion, TBM are yet to be deployed and passing Factory Tests, then it is a pathetic performance by any standard.
There are many things which could hv done parallely while awaiting approvals from forest dept, JICA etc.
Dmrc took too much time in finalization of tenders even after Delhi Govt & Centre go ahead.
While DMRC is claiming that they hv finished 40% work on silver line, which is blatant lie. Not even 10% is completed on this line. Now they are planning another station between Anandmayee Marg and Sangam Vihar at this stage. Pathetic.
Considering this line will be connecting airport and gurgaon via yellow line. This should hv given priority above magenta line extn.
What is your opinion TMRG?