Latest news with #TunnelBoringMachine
Glasgow Times
6 days ago
- Science
- Glasgow Times
Photos show huge HS2 machine being pulled out of the ground
The 850-tonne Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) - named Caroline - was brought to the surface at the Green Park Way site in Greenford, west London, on Sunday (May 25). Photos show the mammoth machine, with a cutterhead spanning 9.48 metres in diameter, being pulled out of the vent shaft in one piece, using a large gantry crane. The images also show several flags from around the world hung to the surface, including Great Britain, Austria, Italy, and Turkey. The machine is called Caroline. (Image: HS2 / SWNS) The tunnelling machine concluded its 5-mile journey from West Ruislip in April, arriving in an underground reception chamber. The machine, named by a local school after the astronomer Caroline Herschel, is the second of four TBM's used to construct part of the 8.4-mile-long Northolt Tunnel. This new tunnel will take HS2 trains from Old Oak Common Station to the outskirts of the capital. The machine will make new tunnels for HS2. (Image: HS2 / SWNS) In total, TBM Caroline excavated over 1.2 million tonnes of earth and installed 4,217 tunnel rings, HS2 said. Recommended Reading The first machine to arrive at Green Park Way, named Sushila, was removed in March this year. Malcolm Codling, client director for HS2 Ltd, said: 'We're immensely proud of the work we have done to complete the second breakthrough for the Northolt Tunnel underneath the capital. 'As we focus on delivering Britain's new high speed railway between London and the West Midlands, we are gearing up for our most productive year to date on this stretch of the line.'
India Today
26-05-2025
- General
- India Today
Chennai Metro blamed for balcony collapse, rail body says claims ‘unfounded'
A balcony of a multi-storey residential building in Chennai's Marina Beach in Tamil Nadu suddenly collapsed on Sunday, putting families and children in building in Nochikuppam reportedly housed several after the incident, some residents alleged that the collapse was triggered by vibrations and tremors caused by ongoing Chennai Metro construction near the Lighthouse station. Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has now categorically denied these claims. In a statement, CMRL clarified that the site of the incident is about 500 metres away from the Lighthouse Metro Station and that construction activities have no connection to the collapse. advertisement'Allegations regarding loud noises, tremors, or vibrations are unfounded. Our Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) had already passed this area in May 2024, and is currently operating around 1 km away from the location in question. Hence, there is no possibility of any tremors or vibrations caused by tunnelling activities.' CMRL wrote on has urged the public not to believe unverified claims linking the accident to Metro construction isn't the first time Chennai Metro's construction activities have come under public scrutiny. In T Nagar's century-old Panagal Park, satellite images reveal that more than 30 per cemt of the green cover has been lost since the start of Metro work. Once home to over 220 mature trees, including rare species like Berrya cordifolia, Brazilian Ironwood and Magizhampoo, the park served as a vital green lung in the has confirmed that 163 trees were cut and 77 translocated to accommodate the project. In an attempt to mitigate the loss, the agency claims to have planted 3,750 green activists argue that such compensatory planting falls far short of the ecological value Watch IN THIS STORY#Chennai#Tamil Nadu
News18
25-05-2025
- News18
Mumbai Metro-8: The ‘Land' Line Between Between Andheri T2 & Navi Mumbai Airports
Last Updated: Mumbai Metro Line 8: The line will begin at CSMIA Terminal 2 in Andheri, travel underground till Chhedanagar in Chembur, and then continue as an elevated line until NMIA Mumbai Metro Line 8: Even as the Mumbai Metro network looks to ease road and railway traffic, there is one line that may prove to be of great help to air travellers – Mumbai Metro-8. Known as the Gold Line, Metro-8 is a 35-km elevated line that will connect the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Mumbai to the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA). Metro Line 8 will be the first to not just connect the two airports, but also the two cities. The project will be developed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) on the Mumbai side and the City And Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) on the Navi Mumbai side. The route: The line will begin at CSMIA Terminal 2 in Andheri, travel underground till Chhedanagar in Chembur, and then continue as an elevated line until NMIA. The alignment will pass through key urban locations including Kurla, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT), Mankhurd, Vashi, Nerul, and Belapur. The features Historic Breakthrough for Mumbai Metro!Today, April 17, 2025, marks a monumental milestone as the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) for Metro Line 7A achieves its breakthrough, completing the first underground tunnel in Mumbai's Metro network by MMRDA!This engineering marvel,… — MMRDA (@MMRDAOfficial) April 17, 2025 CSMIA & MUMBAI METRO For those directly travelling from Mumbai, Metro Line 7A, an extension of Metro-7, is the one which will take you to the CSMIA. It includes both elevated and underground sections. A tunnel breakthrough has been achieved. Metro-9 connects to Metro-7 at Dahisar. Metro-7A connects to Metro-7 at Andheri. Metro-7 in short: It is part of the elevated 16.5-km red line from Andheri (E) to Dahisar (E) which runs along the Western Express Highway from Dahisar to Gundavali. The stations are — Dahisar East, Ovaripada, National Park, Devipada, Magathane, Poisar, Akurli, Kurar, Dindoshi, Aarey, Goregaon E (Interconnect Mumbai Metro-6: Pink Line), Jogeshwari E, Shankarwadi, and Gundavali (Earlier Andheri East, Interconnect Mumbai Metro 1 – Blue Line and Mumbai Metro: 7A – Red Line). Metro-9 in short: The Dahisar (East) to Thane's Kashigaon Metro line is an extension of Metro-7. Its stations are – Dahisar (East), Pandurangwadi, Miragaon, Kashigaon, (phase 2 begins) Sai Baba Nagar, Meditiya Nagar, Shahid Bhagat Singh Garden, Subhash Chandra Bose Stadium. Metro-9 connects to Andheri (West) via Line 2B, Ghatkopar via Metro-7 and 1, Link Road through Metro Line-2A at Dahisar (East), and Thane via Line 10 at Miragaon (in the future). KNOW THE NAVI MUMBAI METRO Navi Mumbai is a rapid transit rail system, which has one operational line. The project has three phases: Phase 1: Belapur to Pendhar (11.10 km) with 11 stations – CBD Belapur, Sector 7, CIDCO Science Park, Utsav Chowk, Sector 11, Sector 14, Central Park, Pethpada, Sector 34, Panchanand and Pendhar Metro Station. Phase 2: Khandeshwar to MIDC Taloja (extension to Airport proposed) (10.3 km) with 8 stations –Khandeshwar, Kalamboli, Sector 13, Sector 11, Sector 7E, Sector 7, Sector 2E, and MIDC Taloja. Phase 3: Interlink between Pendhar and MIDC Taloja (2.2 km) with one station. Fare: Minimum fare of the functional phase one is Rs 10, while maximum is Rs 30. top videos View all Cidco also plans to extend the currently operational Navi Mumbai Metro 1A from the Belapur side by 3.02 km till the NMIA. This metro line will integrate with the Mumbai Metro Line 8 at Sagar Sangam Interchange station opposite the NMMC headquarters. Additionally, the Mumbai Metro Line 12 (Kalyan-Taloja Metro) will interlink with the Navi Mumbai Metro at Taloja. Watch India Pakistan Breaking News on CNN-News18. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from politics to crime and society. Stay informed with the latest India news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! First Published:
Indian Express
10-05-2025
- Indian Express
Learnings from Kashmir line for Rishikesh-Karnaprayag Line: Pick the right alignment to avoid construction of big bridges & tunnels, says RVNL CMD
After the completion of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL), the 125-km Rishikesh-Karnaprayag line is another 'Himalayan project' of the Indian Railways. On April 16, it completed a major breakthrough of a 14.57 km long tunnel, also called T-8, on the line, which is slated to be India's longest transportation tunnel, marking the first instance of the Indian Railways successfully using Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) for excavation in the Himalayan geology. Navratna PSU (RVNL) is tasked with implementing the Rishikesh-Karnaprayag project to ensure its timely completion. In an interview with The Indian Express, PRADEEP GAUR, chairperson and MD of RVNL tells DHEERAJ MISHRA the the Rishikesh-Karnaprayag project is of paramount significance as it is a gateway to the China border. Edited Excerpts: What is the importance of the Rishikesh-Karnaprayag line? The Rishikesh-Karnaprayag Railway line is important mainly for two reasons. First, it is rail connectivity to the people in the remote areas of the hills. Out of 125 km of the project, a total of 105 km is going through the tunnels and then bridges. So, virtually except for yards, it is a completely underground train. It will provide safe travel in all weather as roads built alongside the hills are always vulnerable to landslides. Secondly, it is a movement towards the China border. This is declared a strategically important project. So far, it is up to Karnaprayag, but it has been planned to take it beyond. All this will help to move the heavy Army machinery to the border in a camouflage condition because almost all the movement will be done under the tunnel. The line will be extended to Joshimath, Gangotri, Yamunotri for Char Dham. We have already submitted the Final Location Survey and detailed cost to the Railway Board. The extension project is yet to be sanctioned. The Army wants to extend it to Mana, which is located at a very high level, almost 3,500 m above sea level. It will be taken as far as we can take this line. Why did you use the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) in T-8? We got this project in 2012 and after a detailed survey, we submitted the estimates to the government in 2016. From 2016 to 2019, we did a detailed investigation, completed land acquisition and forest clearance. We started working on the project in 2020. T-8 is going to be the longest tunnel in India. Beside these two openings, there was not any possibility to have any other opening on this stretch. If we would have excavated this tunnel through the conventional method, it would have taken nine years to complete it. So, because of uniform geological conditions, we decided that we will use the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM). Usually, people are not confident in using TBM in the Himalayas, and rightly so, because there are many cases of failure. In addition to the geology, the movement of tectonic plates also makes tunneling difficult. The geology of the Alps mountain range is similar to ours, but the movement of tectonic plates make it more challenging. The geology of the rock in the tunnel can be understood as the average MPa (a unit of pressure commonly used to measure the compressive strength of rocks) of the rock is around 35. While the granite has more than 200 MPa. So the mountain is very fragile and as we move ahead excavating, there is always a risk of squeezing or shrinking of the opening, which can also lead to a collapse. How did you overcome these challenges? Look, given the geology of the area, it was obvious that we will face a number of challenges. But we anticipated all these things in advance and planned accordingly. The important thing about tunneling is what you can predict. To ensure safe and efficient excavation, one has to predict all the possible things that may occur during the work. Once you do this, you will be fully prepared. So, we did an extensive investigation with Airborne Electromagnetic testing. Under this technique, there is a big frame which is carried by the helicopter over the alignment. The machine bombards the electromagnetic radiation, which strikes on the alignment. Using this technology, we got to know about the mountain strata. Second, the machinery used in the tunnel is the latest state of art machinery in the world like jumbo dills, loaders, shotcrete machine, multi-service vehicles, etc. For instance, in drill and blast, first we drill a hole and then fit it with explosives for the blast. Now the alignment of the hole is very important. If you drill the hole correctly, it will blast exactly as much as you designed. If you drill it crookedly, it will overbreak the rock. Using these latest machines, we have never had any problem with overbreaking. Along with this, we streamline the tendering system. We took the geological risk on our head so that the contractor does not feel overburdened with the concerns of mishappening. We owned up the investigation that if anything goes wrong, RVNL will compensate the contractors. It was one of the biggest factors which gave them confidence. How was the alignment of the line decided? Tunneling does not mean to call a tender and ask the contractor to excavate the mountain. We should spend on 'Sharpening the axe', like other developed countries do. We did around six years of investigation and if we had not done this, we would not have been able to achieve all this. If you are making an alignment, which avoids the dangerous pitfalls, half of work is done. From which countries were the machines procured and how were they transported to the site? The machinery used in the tunnel was bought from two companies, Swedish company Epiroc, a Finnish company Sandvik. We bought almost 40 fully automatic machines for the tunnel. TBM was bought from the German company Herrenknecht. The important thing is that the machine was manufactured in Germany, brought to Mundra port after dismantling it and then brought to the site. We faced challenges in transportation after Rishikesh as it lies in the hilly area. There is a small bridge spanning almost 100 m at the Ganga. We did not know the load carrying capacity. Because, without knowing the capacity, it was not possible to transport such heavy machinery. So we did a load test. The heaviest part of the machine was 168 tonnes. That was a huge challenge. We wanted to carry it in one single piece. We could have dismantled it and transported it part by part, but we could not have achieved finishing while assembling at the site as compared to the factory finishing. Another reason is that the most critical part of the TBM, which is called main drive, had the chances of shields being damaged. You can not drive the TBM if the shield is damaged and the replacement of these parts inside the tunnel was almost impossible. So we did not take any chances on this. Along with this, there were chances of dust accumulation and ingression at the site during assembling the TBM, which had a very bad impact on its working and dust particles could cut the shield. So it was decided to transport it in one part. It is a Rs 250 crore machine. Its dimension was also large, almost 6.8 m. So, in the narrow area, we had to lift it and stand it vertically using the crane. After crossing the narrow road, we again made it horizontal. It took 2.5 months for the complete assembling of the TBM. What is the reason for using two tunneling methods? From ordering a TBM to the commissioning, it takes almost 16 months. So in this tunnel, as it is 14.57 km long, we did not wait for the starting of the TBM and began excavation through New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) from the other side. The actual TBM excavation started in March 2023. Out of the 14.57 km, 10.47 was excavated through by TBM and 4.11 km by NATM. It took 760 days to excavate 10,470 m by TBM. So the average progress was 415 m per month. It is the world's second fastest excavation in the category of 9-10 m tunneling. The fastest is 423 m per month in Spain's cabrera tunnel. But they had good geology of limestone. Our geology is of phyllite rocks. Stronger the mountain, the easier it is to tunnel in it. Kashmir Rail Link is also a similar project. Were there any learnings drawn from it for the Rishikesh-Karnaprayag Line? Yes, the most important learning was the alignment to avoid any additional expenditure. In the Kashmir rail line, accessibility was a major issue. The alignment was deep into the area which was remote, where there was no connectivity by the road. So we had to build a road for transportation of machinery. We built approach roads of 215 km. In this alignment, we took care of these things that let's not make big roads and let's have tunnel portals near the highways or where there is an accessibility. So we made only 11-12 km road in this project. Thus the additional work can be avoided. There are big bridges like Chenab and Anji Khad in the Srinagar line. In this, we took an alignment in such a matter that we do not have to build big bridges. In this project, the bridges are a maximum of 50 m high. It saved us a lot of money, time and resources. What is the completion target for Rishikesh-Karnaprayag line? Our target is to start the operation of the train by December 2026. The total tunneling on the line is 213 km, which includes main tunnel, escape tunnel, out of this, 195 km is complete. All this has been done in just three years and nine months. Our aim is to complete the excavation by the end of this year. What is the next major project of RVNL? Our next major project is 63-km long Bhanupli (Punjab) to Bilaspur (Himachal Pradesh) line, which will further go up to Leh, Ladakh. Dheeraj Mishra is a Principal correspondent with The Indian Express, Business Bureau. He covers India's two key ministries- Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Road Transport & Highways. He frequently uses the Right to Information (RTI) Act for his stories, which have resulted in many impactful reports. ... Read More
Hindustan Times
06-05-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Months after roof collapse, Telangana tunnel project remains an uphill task
Nearly two-and-a-half months after the collapse of the roof of Srisailam Left Bank Canal tunnel at Domalapenta in Telangana's Nagarkurnool district, the state government is struggling to find an alternative solution to complete the project which has become a challenging task, officials familiar with the matter said. The ₹4,600 crore tunnel project aims to transfer Krishna river water from the Srisailam reservoir to provide irrigation to 400,000 acres in the erstwhile combined Nalgonda district besides providing drinking water to 516 villages en route. Out of the total length of 44 km of the main tunnel, a 20.5 km stretch was completed from Devarakonda end and another 14 km from the inlet end at Domalapenta. Two tunnel boring machines were deployed from either side to expedite the work. With only a 9.6 km stretch of tunnel being left to be drilled from the inlet side deep in the Nallamala forest range, the tunnel collapsed on February 22 this year, within four days of the commencement of work, trapping eight employees, including two project engineers. After two months of laborious efforts, rescue teams recovered only two bodies – one that of Gurpreet Singh, the operator of Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) from Punjab on March 9 and that of project engineer Manoj Kumar from Lucknow on March 25. According to senior IAS officer Shivashankar Lotheti, who was appointed as a special officer of the rescue mission at SLBC tunnel, only 43 metres of the 'critical zone' was left where the bodies of six others might have been trapped. 'But it is a risky area to take up the operations,' he said. How to go about the tunnel project While recovering the bodies of six other trapped workers continues to be tricky for the rescue teams, state irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy reiterated that the state government was determined to complete the SLBC tunnel project, come what may. 'We cannot abandon the project, as it is a long-standing aspiration of the people of Nalgonda district, and it will turn the region into a fertile green belt,' he told reporters on Sunday. However, the minister clarified that work on the SLBC has temporarily come to a halt due to an unfortunate accident. 'This is only a temporary pause and we shall work out the options on how to complete the project,' he said He further said that a national-level technical expert committee was formed to facilitate the resumption of the SLBC project. 'The construction will proceed based on the recommendations of this expert committee,' he said. The expert committee, comprising 18 members from various department, has formed a sub-committee with experts, including the Geological Survey of India (GSI), National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), National Institute of Rock Mechanics (NIRM), Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research (CIFMR), National Centre for Seismology (NCS), and Col Parikshit Mehra, a tunnel expert from the Border Road Organisation (BRO). According to a senior official of the irrigation department familiar with the matter, the committee was considering alternative solutions, including a U-shaped rerouting to bypass the collapsed area, using drilling and blasting method (DBM), instead of using tunnel boring machine (TBM). 'There is also an option to drill using a tunnel boring machine from the Devarakonda side, but excavation from the inlet side remains uncertain. The site of the roof collapse is currently deemed unsuitable for resumption of excavation,' the official said. He said the last 50 metres of the tunnel (referred to as D2 section) pose a significant challenge due to the presence of mud and soil, making removal operations extremely difficult. 'This segment falls within a 'shear zone' — a geologically unstable area — where any construction activity is considered high-risk,' he said. The experts committee also discussed the possibility of constructing a vertical shaft from the surface to the tunnel's end, but this requires approval from the central government as it falls within the Amrabad Tiger Reserve and the government has to take environmental and forest clearance. Another proposed method involves continuing with drilling and blasting inside the tunnel and transporting excavated debris (soil and rocks) back through the existing 14-kilometre path. Before this, however, experts have recommended drilling boreholes to assess the nature of underground rock layers — a step which also needs central approval. 'Alternatively, ground scanning techniques may be used to assess the strata and plan accordingly. The subcommittee will submit a report recommending the most feasible option among these alternatives,' the official added.
