Delhi Metro completes tunnelling for Phase 3.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has successfully wrapped up all tunnelling works of Phase 3 with the completion of a 1.25-kilometre-long tunnel between Vasant Vihar and Munirka on the Janakpuri West-Botanical Garden Magenta Line.

A DMRC spokesperson said the work on this tunnel, which has 904 rings and has been constructed about 20 metres below the surface, started in October 2015.

“The DMRC has completed one of the largest tunnelling projects in the world,” said the spokesperson.

“The quantum of underground work in Phase 3 can be gauged from the fact that in the last phase, only 35 km were underground and in Phase 1, the underground component was 13 km,” he added.

The tunnelling work on the 38-km-long Janakpuri West-Botanical Garden corridor had multiple engineering challenges, he said. The new tunnels passed below already operational elevated viaducts of the Delhi Metro at three locations (at Janakpuri West below Blue Line, near IGI Airport below Airport Line and near Kalkaji Mandir below Violet Line).

At Hauz Khas, the new tunnel also passed below the already operational tunnel of Yellow Line. “Construction of a 1.4-km-long tunnel between Shankar Vihar and Vasant Vihar on this section was also fraught with challenges as it passed below the rocky Aravallis, and special boring machines had to be pressed into service for the drive,” he said.

Of the 59 km between Majlis Park and Shiv Vihar on the Pink Line, about 19 km is underground. This is the longest corridor of the DMRC.

THE HINDU