J Kumar Infraprojects completes Final Tunnel Breakthrough for Surat Metro Phase 1 Project

Surat, India (Metro Rail Today): J Kumar Infraprojects has marked a significant milestone in the Surat Metro Phase 1 project with Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) S28B achieving its first and final breakthrough at Chowk Bazar Station on Line-1 (Sarthana–Dream City), which spans 22.77 km.

This breakthrough not only completes tunnelling works for the 3.56-km Package UG-02 / CS-03 (Surat Railway Station–Chowk Bazar Ramp) but also marks the end of all major tunnelling activities for the entire 7.02-km underground section between Chowk Bazar and Kapodra Ramp under Phase 1.

TBM S28B, nicknamed Diya, is a 6.61-metre diameter Terratec Earth Pressure Balance (EPB) machine. Alongside TBM S25B, known as Amrit, it was deployed for the underground stretch. Both machines previously worked on Delhi Metro’s Phase 3 Pink Line under Package CC-24 (Lajpat Nagar–Hazrat Nizamuddin), showcasing their proven performance in complex urban tunnelling environments.

TBM Diya was commissioned from Surat Railway Station in April 2023 and began tunnelling toward Chowk Bazar via Maskati Hospital, covering a distance of approximately 2.9 km. TBM Amrit was launched a month later for the parallel tunnel. It subsequently overtook Diya and completed its tunnelling drive in August 2025.

Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation (GMRC) had awarded the ₹941.80 crore Package CS-03 contract to J Kumar Infraprojects in December 2020. The contractor’s scope included constructing roughly half of Line-1’s 7.02-km underground stretch, from chainage 7160.6 metres to 10720 metres, along with three underground stations at Chowk Bazar, Maskati Hospital and Surat Railway Station.

With this latest breakthrough, all primary tunnelling works for Phase 1 have now been completed. Only cross-passage construction and finishing works remain in the underground section. The adjacent 3.46-km Package CS-02 / UG-01 (Kapodra–Surat Railway Station), executed by the Gulermak–Sam Joint Venture, had already completed tunnelling in September 2024 using Terratec machines S78 (TBM Narmada) and S94 (TBM Tapi).

The completion of tunnelling represents a major engineering achievement for the project, particularly given the complexities of underground construction in dense urban zones. However, substantial works including civil structures, architectural finishes, systems installation, track laying, testing and commissioning are still pending before the underground section becomes operational.

Based on the current pace of execution and remaining scope, the underground stretch—along with elevated Package CS4 (Kapodra North Ramp to Sarthana)—is likely to be among the final components of Phase 1 to open, with commercial operations expected no earlier than early 2028.

Commenting on the development, Mrs. Mamta Shah, MD & CEO, Urban Infra Group, said, “The completion of tunnelling for Surat Metro’s underground section is a defining milestone that significantly de-risks the project’s construction phase. With all TBM drives concluded, the focus now shifts to systems integration and finishing works, which will be critical in ensuring timely and safe commissioning of Phase 1.”

The milestone reinforces Surat Metro’s steady progress toward delivering a modern mass transit network designed to transform urban mobility in one of Gujarat’s fastest-growing cities.