Pune metro tunnel boring work set for December first week launch

The first of the four tunnel boring machines for the underground section of the Pune metro work has arrived in Mumbai’s JNPT and will come to the city by road in the next four days said Atul Gadgil, project director for Maha-Metro

PUNE The first tunnel boring machines (TBM) for the underground stretch of the Pune metro from College of Agriculture to Swargate will reach the city by road in the next four days from Mumbai, and work will commence in the first week of December, said officials of Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha-Metro) during a press conference in the city on Friday.

At least 70 per cent work for the reach 1 in the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) is also complete and passengers would be able to use the metro between Sant Tukaram Nagar and Phugewadi by mid-December this year, informed the officials (HT PHOTO)

The first of the four tunnel boring machines for the underground section of the Pune metro work has arrived in Mumbai’s JNPT and will come to the city by road in the next four days said Atul Gadgil, project director for Maha-Metro.

Gadgil, “Once it arrives in Pune it will take at least 15 days to reassemble the tunnel boring machines under the shaft. The shaft is ready at the College of Agriculture, Pune, and the tunnel boring machines will be lowered through it and start working immediately.”

“There has been only a delay of a few days as the earlier deadline for the machines to arrive in Mumbai was November 8, but it arrived on November 13. However, we are sure that we will be able to meet our deadline for the underground metro,” said Gadgil.

The first metro route to be available for use in Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) would be between Garware college and Vanaz depot, informed the officials. Metro officials said that over 60 per cent work for the PMC stretch of the metro which runs from Vanaz to Ramwadi.

This second tunnel boring machines which are on its way from China will also be lowered for the down line from the same shaft by the end of November. The third and fourth machines will be lowered from the Swargate shaft. The first tunnel boring machines will work between Agriculture college to Mandai or Budhwar peth station shaft, informed the officials.

Gadgil also added that each of the tunnel boring machines are custom made dependent on the geography of the city.