By rosebell
As the largest TBMs in India, two mixshield TBMs with a 15.62m diameter will be supplied for India’s Mumbai Coastal Road Project North by Herrenknecht.
These two machines are due to be deployed on the Versova-Dahisar Link Road in Mumbai.
The second phase of the Mumbai Coastal Road Project (MRCP) is 22.93km-long Versova-Dahisar Link Road (VDLR) and VDLR packages C and D cover two 3.1km parallel tunnels.
With the aim of easing congestion on major routes such as the Western Express Highway, this project will link the suburbs of Versova and Dahisar along Mumbai’s western coastline and it is expected to decrease journey times by 70%. Considering that this underground tunnel sections will connect sensitive areas such as the city centre and densely built urban regions, it is going to play a critical role for the city’s traffic program.
Advancing this project is up to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, and the client Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Ltd (MEIL).
Due to the challenging geological conditions of the region which consist of slightly weathered basalt with a uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) of up to 150MPa, these two mixshields are designed for this condition and the overburden of the tunnels ranges from almost 13-23m. To ensure safe operations under these conditions, the TBMs are designed for a maximum operating pressure of 5 bar.
Herrenknecht’s Chennai plant in India will be the location og manufacturing the TBMs using core components from Schwanau, that will boost local expertise and reduce transport distances.
According to Herrenknecht chairman Dr.-Ing. E.h. Martin Herrenknecht: “The tunnel sections of the Versova-Dahisar Link Road are a prime example of sustainable urban mobility. We are proud to support this significant project with our cutting-edge technology.”
Herrenknecht says:”The project highlights its strong commitment to India. Recently the Indian ambassador to Germany, Ajit Gupte, visited Herrenknecht’s headquarters in Schwanau, underlining the strategic importance of the Indian market, one of the world’s fastest-growing markets for tunneling.”
As a company that has supplied TBMs for projects such as the Delhi and Chennai metros and the Rishikesh-Karnprayag railway tunnel project in Uttarakhand, Herrenknecht has an office in Delhi and a production facility in Chennai and employs around 150 people in the region.
“Only a few other countries are investing as ambitiously in the expansion of infrastructure as India. We are excited to be part of this dynamic growth story,” said Dr Herrenknecht.
