Delhi Metro to become world’s largest single-city network by Dec, says Khattar
Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar on Thursday said by December, the network of Delhi Metro would become the largest for a single city, surpassing New York Metro’s 399-km record.
“With the opening of the 12-km stretch from Aerocity to Tughlakabad, Golden line, Delhi Metro’s network will become the largest single-city network in the world,” said Khattar at a tunnel breakthrough event for Golden Line, held at the Vasant Kunj metro station.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has achieved a major construction milestone in Phase 4 with the completion of an underground tunnel between Kishangarh and Vasant Kunj Station on the Tughlakabad-Aerocity corridor.
The breakthrough of the tunnel boring machine (TBM) at the Vasant Kunj station site of the Delhi Metro took place in the presence of Manohar Lal, Union Minister of Housing & Urban affairs and Power, and Tokhan Sahu, Minister of State, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, Government of India.
A tunnel boring machine (TBM) broke through this morning at the Vasant Kunj station after boring a 1,550-metre-long tunnel. This tunnel breakthrough was achieved using a mammoth 91-metre-long TBM. Two parallel circular tunnels for up and down movement are being constructed on this stretch as part of the Aerocity-Tughlakabad corridor. The breakthrough on the other parallel tunnel is planned to be achieved in the month of June 2025.
This new tunnel has been constructed at an average depth of approximately 23 meters. About 1107 rings have been installed in the tunnel, with an inner diameter of 5.8 meters.
The tunnel has been built using the proven technology of earth pressure balancing method (EPBM) with a concrete lining made of precast tunnel rings. These tunnel rings were cast at a fully mechanised casting yard set up at Mundka. The concrete segments were cured with a steam curing system to achieve early strength. All necessary safety precautions were taken during the construction of the tunnel below the existing structures. Ground movements were monitored with highly sensitive instruments fixed on nearby structures, ensuring that there was no settlement anywhere. As part of the Phase 4 work approved so far, 40.109 kms of underground lines are being constructed.
A TBM is a machine used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross-section through various soil and rock strata. They can be designed to bore through anything from hard rock to sand.
TBMs have revolutionised tunnelling work worldwide, enabling tunnels to be bored without disturbing buildings and other surface structures.
