The tunnelling work between INA and South Extension under metro’s ambitious Phase III network has been successfully completed by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.
A Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) made the breakthrough at the South Extension metro station site in the presence of DMRC Managing Director Mangu Singh and other senior officials over the weekend.
The stretch is part of the over 58-km-long Majlis Park (Mukundpur)-Shiv Vihar corridor of the Phase III network.
“This TBM, which was lowered at the INA shaft in October, 2013, has completed a tunnelling drive of 925 meters before being retrieved from the site. The other TBM, which is only 250 meters behind in the adjacent tunnel, is also expected to be retrieved from the South Extension shaft in a fortnight,” DMRC Corporate Communication Executive Director Anuj Dayal said.
This corridor includes 11 underground tunnelling stretches, including Lajpat Nagar, Sarojni Nagar, Bikaji Kama Place, Ashram and Hazrat Nizamuddin among others.
At present, tunnelling is also going on between Sarojini Nagar and INA that covers a stretch of 710 metres.
The two TBMs, which were lowered at Sarojini Nagar in March are expected to be retrieved at the INA shaft in July next year, Dayal said.
TBM drives are also going on between Shalimar Bagh — Netaji Subash Place and between Azadpur — Shalimar Bagh underground stretches of the 58.467 km long Majlis Park — Shiv Vihar corridor of Phase III.
Besides this, tunnelling drives are also being carried out from Hazrat Nizamuddin — Ashram and Vinabapuri — Lajpat Nagar stretches at present.
The 58.467 km long Majlis Park — Shiv Vihar corridor of Phase III consists of about 14 km of underground lines.
The DMRC is slated to construct 53 km of underground metro lines as part of its Phase III construction work for which about 34TBMs are expected to be used.
A total of 74 tunnels will be constructed in this phase.
As regards the progress of civil construction in Phase III, over 30 km of viaducts and over 15 km of tunnelling has been completed so far which is as per the schedule of DMRC’s Phase III project execution.
