L&T Relaunches Patna Metro’s TBM-1 from Patna University Station

Larsen & Toubro (L&T) last week recommissioned their first tunnel boring machine (DZ1090) from Patna University Station for 30.91 km Patna Metro Phase 1 project’s 8 km underground Package PC-03 connecting Rajendra Nagar – Patna Junction Railway Station.

This milestone on Patna Metro’s 14.05 km Line-2 (Patna Junction Railway Station – New ISBT) comes roughly 3 months after the machine had recorded its first tunnel breakthrough at Patna University’s east shaft in March 2024. It had built a 1494m tunnel for the down-line from Moin-ul-Haq Station in 11 months.

TBM-1 is a 6.65m diameter EPB machine manufactured by China Railway Construction Heavy Industry Co. Ltd. (CRCHI). It was earlier known as TBM Mahavir, but the DMRC decided to drop that name for reasons unknown to me, but likely because of religious reasons.

Over the last 3 months, TBM-1 was extracted out from Patna University’s east shaft and lowered into its west shaft. For its next assignment, it has been relaunched to build a 2302m long tunnel for the down-line to PMCH Station and onward to Gandhi Maidan Station.

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) had awarded L&T with Patna Metro Phase 1 Package PC-03’s Rs. 1989 crore contract in December 2021 with a 42 month deadline.

Package PC-03 will connect a ramp near Rajendra Nagar with Patna Junction Railway Station through TBM bored twin tunnels and 6 underground stations at Akashvani (formerly Dak Bungalow), Gandhi Maidan, PMCH, Patna University, Moin Ul Haq Stadium and Rajendra Nagar.

L&T has so far recorded 2 breakthroughs out of what I estimate to be 12 total breakthroughs in Package PC-03. Both were recorded at Patna University by DZ1090 (TBM-1 erstwhile Mahavir) in March for the down-line and by DZ1091 (TBM-2 erstwhile Buddha) in May for the up-line.

Bidding has been underway since December 2023 for 16.86 km Line-1‘s 8 km underground section which will be built via packages PC-05 & PC-06. From the original submission deadline of February 13, the submission deadline has now been pushed out to July 22 with technical bids scheduled to open on the next day.

A tender notice is still pending for Patna Metro’s rolling stock contract, so I reckon we’re easily at least 20 months away from seeing trial runs (train testing) starting on the 6.1 km Priority Section connecting Malahi Pakri – New ISBT. KEC International had started electrification work for it in May 2024.

A list of all Patna Metro civil & system tenders and their status / contractors can be viewed here.

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– TMRG