The corporation has fabricated the first tunnel ring for the underground Metro at its Wadala casting yard. These segment rings will help strengthen the tunnel after being bored into by the TBMs.

 

MMRC’s Managing Director Ashwini Bhide said that as per the contracts awarded for constructing the Metro stations, the contractor will have to procure the tunnel boring machines. An order for 17 machines has been already placed and by October they hope to start the actual tunnelling work.

 

The machines are being imported and will start coming in from July. The tunnel boring machines are being imported from Germany, Austria, Canada among others. But all these machines are China made.

 

The machines will dig twin tunnels for the entire stretch of the Rs 23,136 crore Metro line from Colaba in the southern tip of the megapolis to Seepz (Andheri) in the north.

 

According to MMRC’s project director SK Gupta, the initial tunneling may begin from locations like Cuffe Parade, Pali Naka and Naya Nagar.

Two shafts are getting ready near Pali Naka (in Bandra) and Naya Nagar (in Mahim), so they can start the work from these areas.

 

The shafts at other locations are also getting ready but they may take some time. But they are confident of starting tunneling at least at these three locations.