CRCHI delivers two TBMs for Phase 2 of Bangalore Metro Rail project

Bengaluru, India (Urban Transport News): Chinese Tunnel Boring Machine manufacturer China Railway Construction Heavy Industry Co. Ltd. (CRCHI) has successfully delivered two TBMs for construction of underground tunnels on 13.885 km Dairy Circle – Nagawara section of Phase 2 of Bangalore Metro Rail project.

Both tunnel boring machines (TBMs) - DZ669 (Avni) and DZ670 (Urja) - arrived in Bangaluru on 20th February 2020 and received by Larsen & Toubro Construction. The L&T Construction will deploy both TBMs for excavating and building tunnels on Dairy Circle–Nagawara underground section of Bangalore Metro’s Line-4 (Reach 6).

This section is part of the 73.92 km long network of Phase 2 of Bangalore Metro Rail project.

[#BreakingNews] CRCHI successfully delivered two TBMs to L&T construction for the construction of underground tunnels on 13.885 km Dairy Circle – Nagawara section of Phase 2 of Bangalore Metro Rail project.#NammaMetro #BMRC

Image Credit: Abhilash Singh pic.twitter.com/hMVu8681N0 — Urban Transport News ? (@urbantransnews) February 25, 2020

After completing factory acceptance tests (FAT) at Changsha plant, China, both Ø6.65m slurry tunnel Boring Machines were dispatched to Bengaluru by China Railway Construction Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. (CRCHI) in November 2019. The TBMs first arrived at Chennai Port in the first week of this month from where its parts were loaded on the trailers and brought to Bangalore via road.

According to the tunneling plan, L&T will deploy TBM DZ669 (Avni) first from Shivaji Nagar Station to build tunnels on 2.755 km section under package RT-02 (Vellara Road Station–Shivaji Nagar). Second TBM DZ670 (Urja) will be deployed from Cantonment Station to build tunnels on the 2.884 km section under package RT-03 (Shivaji Nagar Station–Tannery Road). Later TBM (Lavi) will follow the TBM DZ669 (Avni) and TBM Vindhya will follow TBM DZ670 (Urja).

TBM Lavi has passed the Factory Acceptance Test in December 2019. In January 2018, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRC) had decided to place the Cantonment Station at Bamboo Bazaar instead of the original location which was closer to the Railway Station.