MUMBAI (Metro Rail News): The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) ultimately finished the Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ Metro 3 project’s tunnelling construction on November 29, providing a significant boost to the opening of Mumbai’s first underground Metro train service.
The Mumbai Central Metro Station’s Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) Tansa 1 achieved the last tunnelling breakthrough. Civil engineering breakthrough occurs when a TBM is lowered into a specific shaft, successfully navigates the specified geological route, and exits at the intended location.
The challenging drive of 837 m from Mahalaxmi Metro Station to Mumbai Central Metro Station upline in 243 days, utilising 558 concrete rings, resulted in the 42nd TBM breakthrough.
“It was with great pleasure that I witnessed the final breakthrough today. It marks 100 per cent tunnelling of Metro 3 corridor. Tunnelling below Mumbai’s heritage precincts, nearby of old dilapidated buildings, existing Metro line, railway lines and water body with different and sometimes difficult geological conditions, has been a daunting task,” said Ashwini Bhide, MD of MMRCL.
“We used advanced technology without compromising on the safety of workers. This was a daunting task for the MMRCL team, along with general consultants, contractors and joint ventures. Once operational, Metro 3 aims to provide a speedy, comfortable and safe commuting experience to the Mumbaikars,” said S K Gupta, Director (Projects), MMRCL.
The tunnelling of the entire line is finished as a result of the breakthrough. As a result, the project is progressing by 76.6 per cent overall.
17 TBMs were primarily used in Metro 3’s tunnelling, which covered a 33.5-km underground stretch.
After the first TBM arrived on September 5, 2017, and was dropped into the Naya Nagar shaft on September 21, the tunnelling operation officially started five years ago.
Phase 1 of the line, which would run from Aarey to Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), is anticipated to open to the public by 2023 once tunnelling work is finished. By 2024, it is anticipated that the second section from BKC to Cuffe Parade will be operational.
