Phase 2's first TBM to make breakthrough before Sept 24

Urja, the tunnel boring machine that started digging Reach 6 metro line's underground section in July 2020, is set to complete the 864 metres of tunnelling in a week.

"This is the first breakthrough of Phase 2 tunnelling," BMRCL Managing Director Anjum Parwez said. "The date (for the breakthrough) will be finalised very shortly, and it will happen before the 24th," he added.

The 13.9-km tunnel between Dairy Circle and Nagawara is part of Reach 6. Though Urja’s breakthrough is getting closer, another TBM Vindhya’s will happen in a month as it's just 50 metres behind.

The government has revised the deadline for Reach 6’s completion to June 2024 but officials said the Covid-19 disruption could delay it further.

Also read: Decision soon on extending Bengaluru metro timings: R Ashoka

Meanwhile, the BMRCL is preparing to finalise the bid for the pending work on the 7.5-kilometre Gottigere-Swagat Road Cross elevated line. Officials had re-tendered the work after Simplex Infrastructure, the company that originally received the tender, failed to complete the work. Last month, the corporation opened the technical bids and found three companies making the cut. The BMRCL had estimated the cost at Rs 339 crore and has set a 21-month deadline.

Bridges on ORR to be hit

The metro line linking Silk Board with KR Puram along the Outer Ring Road will lead to the removal of a foot overbridge (FOB) at Bellandur while the one between Iblur and Bellandur will be relocated 70 metres away. The FOB next to the Embassy building will be modified to make sure that it doesn't block the metro piers. Once ready, the Bellandur station itself can be used as an FOB, the BMRCL said. The FOB between Iblur and Bellandur, still under construction, won't be affected.

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