The tunnel work in the East-West Metro Corridor has been completed by Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) on May 15, with the success of “Urvi” at Bobajjar, Kolkata, informed the Ministry of Railways. With this success, the entire TBM tunneling work for the Kolkata East-West Metro project has been completed.

According to the ministry, the 800-meter challenging tunnel operation has been successfully completed following the COVID-19 protocol. The ministry said, “The stretch was difficult for tunnel construction as it had centuries-old buildings.”

Earlier in the day, Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal tweeted about the achievement of the railway and said that the expansion will reduce the travel time of passengers. He tweeted, “Despite the challenges Covid-19, the Railways has achieved a major milestone with the completion of 800 meters of tunneling in the East-West Kolkata Metro Corridor. This will facilitate extension from Phulbagan to Howrah Maidan, reduce travel time and increase connectivity for all passengers. ”

The Ministry also reported that the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) ‘Urvi’ completed the East Bound Tunnel from Esplanade to Sealdah on 9 October last year and after necessary renovations and inspections on 9 January to complete the remaining 800 meters It was relaunched from Sealdah. Tunneling work in the West bound tunnel from Sealdah to Baubazar.

It has also passed under the TBM Sealdah flyover, for which vehicular movement on the flyover was stopped for three days due to security reasons. After the completion of this TBM drive, the tunnel boring machine ‘Urvi’ along with other stalled TBM ‘Chandi’ will be procured from this retrieval shaft at Bobazar.

News Source: ConstructionWorld