OREANDA-NEWS. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) today started underground tunneling work between INA and South Extension on the Mukundpur – Shiv Vihar corridor by lowering the first Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) at INA.

This tunneling drive will cover a distance of 924 mtrs and will be a part of the Bhikaji Cama Place – Lajpat Nagar underground section of the Mukundpur – Shiv Vihar corridor. The initial drive of this TBM after its full assembling at the site is expected to start in the first week of next month (November, 2013).

DMRC will place a total of 6, 145 precast rings in a total tunneling drive of 4. 299 km between Bhikaji Cama Place and Lajpat Nagar. The tunnel will have an internal diameter of 5. 8 meters and width of 1.4 meters.

This underground stretch between Bhikaji Cama Place and Lajpat Nagar will witness a total of eight (08) TBM launchings. It includes two TBM launches from INA to South Extension, two from South Extension to Lajpat Nagar, two from Sarojini Nagar to INA and two more TBM launches from Bhikaji Cama Place to Sarojini Nagar.     

This is the second TBM to be lowered on the 58.467 km long Mukundpur – Shiv Vihar corridor. The first TBM on this section is currently operational between Netaji Subhash Place and Shalimar Bagh.

DMRC is slated to construct 53 km of underground Metro lines as part of its Phase III construction work for which about 34 TBMs are expected to be used. A total of 74 tunnels will be constructed in this phase. The tunneling work between Central Secretariat and ITO on the 9.37 km long Central Secretariat – Kashmere Gate corridor has been already completed.