By Lynda Myer
Following completion of its FAT, a third Terratec TBM for the Chennai Metro Rail project is being shipped to India.
The intended EPBM with a 6.61 m diameter is one of five that Terratec is supplying to Tata Projects Ltd for the works.
Despite the delivery of the first TBM in May 2022, the second and third machines have been dispatched and they are due to be used to construct 18km of tunnels on Corridor 3 of the Chennai Metro Rail, from Venugopal Nagar Station to Kellys Station.
Comprising the construction of diaphragm walls and the launch and retrieval shafts at four stations, one of the project’s main challenges will be excavating under historical structures in built-up areas.
Due to equipping with versatile mixed-ground dome-style cutterheads, the EPBM works effectively in mixed geology. In Chennai, the machines will face mainly sand, silt, and clay, with around 10% weathered rock. The width of 1,400mm, 275mm thick, as well as five segments and a key, are the features of the universal reinforced concrete lining rings.
As India’s fourth longest metro system, in one of the country’s fastest growing cities, Chennai Metro is currently consisting of two lines covering a distance of 54.65km. While the new Line 5 is going to have 48 stations and connect from Madhavaram to Sholinganallur, the project is planned to be completed in about four years.
