DMRC completes another tunnel

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has completed another tunnel under its Phase-III project between INA and South Extension Metro stations.

The tunnel boring machine (TBM) that was lowered at the INA shaft in October 2013 has completed a tunneling drive of 925 metres before being retrieved from the South Extension shaft, DMRC said in a statement.

“The other TBM, which is only 250 metres behind in the adjacent tunnel, is also expected to be retrieved from the South Extension shaft in a fortnight,” it added.

This underground stretch forms a part of the 58.467 km long Line 7 – Majlis Park (Mukundpur) to Shiv Vihar corridor – under the Phase-III network.

At present, tunneling is also going on between Sarojini Nagar and INA that covers a stretch of 710 metres, the DMRC said.

“The two tunnel boring machines, which were lowered at Sarojini Nagar in March 2014 are expected to be retrieved at the INA shaft in July 2015,” it added.

TBM drives are also going on between Shalimar Bagh and Netaji Subash Place, and from Azadpur to Shalimar Bagh underground stretches of the 58.467 km long Majlis Park–Shiv Vihar corridor of Phase-III. Also, tunneling drives are being carried out from Hazrat Nizamuddin-Ashram and Vinabapuri-Lajpat Nagar stretches.

The 58.467 km long Majlis Park-Shiv Vihar corridor consists of some 14 km of underground lines.

Phase-III overview

The DMRC is slated to construct 53 km of underground Metro lines as part of its Phase-III project, for which 34 TBMs 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 tunneling have been completed so far as per the schedule of DMRC’s Phase-III project,” it said.