Delhi Metro Managing Director Mangu Singh has announced the 41km of twin tunnel to be built on its103km long Phase III will utilize 25 TBMs at the peak of construction to hit the scheduled 2016 completion deadline.
“In Phase-III the underground component is quite high and it is expected that during peak period about 25 tunnel boring machines will be working,” he said, “In order to monitor the performance of the tunnel boring machines in the sensitive areas, a centralized control centre shall be set-up with connectivity through GPS to all the tunnel boring machines.”
To help hit the tight program Singh also announced that Delhi Metro has been providing specialist training to boost skill levels. “We realize that Phase-III shall be very huge task to manage. On the technology front we have enough experience but we realized that the middle level management is the back bone and the need for the project management was more on developing skills on interfacing, managing and coordinating,” he said.
“We trained 76 middle level officers in 3 batches at IIM Ahmedabad with specially designed courses by IIM Ahmedabad and conducted refresher courses at DMRC’s own Shastri Park Training Institute for up to Deputy Chief Engineer level officers.”
Currently all of Phase 111’s 28 underground station designs and tunnel alignments have been finalized, as well as all the civil tenders for the Central Secretariat – Kashmere Gate line, where works have already started. Also, all civil tenders for the extension from Jahangirpuri to Badli have been let and works started.
The decision to construct more underground corridors was taken on Phase 111 to ensure construction works cause the minimum inconvenience to the public whilst avoiding damaging existing infrastructure such as flyovers and roads.
The longest underground section of Phase 3 will be from IGI Airport (Domestic) to Kalkaji on the Janakpuri West – Kalindi Kunj corridor at 17.3km long. The Mukundpur – Yamuna Vihar corridor will run underground for 14.4km and the Central Secretariat – Kashmere Gate corridor will have a total of 9.4km of underground line.
For the first time in the history of Delhi Metro’s construction, three different tunnelling stretches in Phase 3 will pass below existing underground Metro lines in the city. These underground stretches are:
1. The underground from Sarojini Nagar to INA on the Mukundpur – Yamuna Vihar where the corridor will pass below the underground section of the Jahangirpuri – HUDA City Centre line at INA.
2. The underground between Indira Gandhi Domestic Airport (T2) and Kalkaji on the Janak Puri West – Botanical Garden corridor which will pass below the underground section of the Airport Express Link near the Indira Gandhi Domestic Airport and Jahangirpuri – HUDA City Centre line near Hauz Khas. .
3. The underground stretch from Mandi House to ITO on the Central Secretariat – Kashmere Gate Corridor which will pass below the underground section of the NOIDA – Dwarka corridor at Mandi House.
In addition to Phase 11’s current 103km length, a 4km extension to Noida (Botanical Garden) and a 13km extension to Faridabad have also been sanctioned by the Government taking the total to about 120km. Another 20km extension to Shiv Vihar – 3km, an extension to Najafgarh of 5.5km, and an extension to Bahadurgarh of 11km. are in pipeline.
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