KPIL Casts Bhopal Metro Underground Line’s 1st Tunnel Segment

Kalpataru Projects International Ltd. (KPIL) – Gulermak JV in February-end began pouring concrete to cast the first batch of tunnel ring segments for Bhopal Metro Orange Line‘s underground package BH-04.

Twin tunnels on 3.39 km Package BH-04 will connect a ramp south of Sindhi Colony Station with a ramp west of Aish Bagh Crossing Station via 2 underground stations at Bhopal Junction Station and Nadra Bus Stand.

This is the first and only underground package of the 27.87 km Bhopal Metro Phase 1 project. I hear KPIL – Gulermak JV plans to deploy 2 refurbished Robbins tunnel boring machines (TBMs) – 1238 & 1239 – from Mumbai Metro’s Line-3 project for constructing 6 tunnels. Back in Mumbai, both machines had also built 6 tunnels for Package UGC-03 connecting Worli – Mumbai Central between August 2018 – December 2022.

From back of the hand calculations, I estimate KPIL – Gulermak JV will churn out at least 3000 tunnel rings from their casting yard to build this Bhopal’s tunnels.

Madhya Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (MPMRCL) had awarded BH-04’s Rs. 769 crore contract for underground tunneling & construction work to KPIL – Gulermak JV in March 2024 2024 with a 42 month deadline.

Construction is being financed by the European Investment Bank (EIB) through a €400 million (approx. Rs. 3584 crore) loan signed in December 2019.

A list of all Bhopal Metro civil & system packages and their status can be viewed here.

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– TMRG