Terratec has supplied the third of five ordered Earth Pressure Balance Tunnel Boring Machines (EPBMs) for the Chennai Metro Rail project in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
The 6.61m diameter machine will be used by Tata Projects to carry out underground works on Chennai Metro Rail Phase-II Corridors.
As part of the Chennai Metro Rail tunnelling contract, the new tunnel boring machines (TBMs) will be used for the construction of Phase Two – Corridor Three from Venugopal Nagar Station to Kellys Station.
The scope of the work includes the building of 18km of bored tunnels. Terratec is supplying five out of the seven TBMs needed for the package.
At the start of this year, Terratec began supplying the TBMs.
The first TBM S96, which was delivered on-site, is being assembled. It will shortly deliver the second TBM S97, while the third TBM S98 was dispatched after the completion of its factory acceptance test (FAT) recently.
Upon completion of the assembling process, the three TBMs will begin excavation activities for the 15km tunnels for Package TU-01.
The project consists of the construction of diaphragm walls, as well as entry and exit structures of Madhavaram Milk Colony station, Murari Hospital station, Ayanavaram station, and Purasaiwakkam High Road Station.
Works also cover launching and equipping retrieval shafts at these stations.
Terratec stated that ‘major challenges of the project will include tunnelling beneath historical structures in built-up areas’.
The firm’s TBMs feature mixed-ground dome-style cutterheads that is claimed to be ideal for mixed geology.
