NCRTC completes fifth underground tunnel in Meerut for Delhi-Meerut RRTS Corridor

Meerut, India (Metro Rail Today): The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) has successfully completed the construction of the fifth tunnel in Meerut on the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor. The tunnel boring machine (TBM) Sudarshan 8.1 (S-88) has completed the construction of approximately 1 kilometer tunnel between Bhaisali and Begumpul with the breakthrough taking place at Begumpul station on June 24, 2023. This tunnel boring machine was deployed by Afcons Infrastructure Ltd.

Tunneling in this section posed several challenges. The tunnel passes through densely populated areas of the city, going under the Begumpul drain and reaching Begumpul station. The latest techniques were employed to overcome these challenges, and experts closely monitored the entire process. This section also included a sharp curve with a 600-meter radius, making tunneling by the TBM a difficult task. Despite these challenges, the NCRTC team successfully completed the construction with utmost dedication and caution. The breakthrough of this tunnel was made at a depth of 14 meters below the ground.

It is noteworthy that two parallel tunnels are constructed in the underground corridor of the RRTS for train noise mitigation. This is the first parallel tunnel of the third and final underground section in Meerut. Sudarshan 8.2 is constructing the parallel tunnel of this newly built tunnel between Bhaisali and Begumpul and has completed around 70% of the construction. Upon the completion of this tunnel, the tunneling work in Meerut will be completed.

A total of six tunnels are planned to be constructed for the RRTS corridor in Meerut, out of which the construction of this fifth tunnel has been completed. Sudarshan 8.1, after successfully completing the construction of the tunnel from Bhaisali to Meerut Central Station in December, made the breakthrough at the retrieval shaft of Meerut Central Station. It was then dismantled and loaded onto trailers, transported to the launching shaft at Bhaisali station, and reassembled to launch it again for the construction of this tunnel.

Sudarshan is a highly advanced and sophisticated tunnel boring machine, and each of its parts is delicate. After retrieval, the machine is inspected, and its parts are repaired and replaced. Then, all the parts are assembled, and the TBM undergoes testing. Only after ensuring its safe and efficient operation, it is launched for tunnel construction.

For the construction of this approximately 1-kilometer-long tunnel between Bhaisali and Begumpul, more than 4,500 precast segments have been used. In the tunneling process, these segments are inserted into the bored tunnel, and seven sections are joined to form a ring. Each segment is 1.5 meters long and 275 millimeters thick. These segments and rings are connected using bolts. The casting of these tunnel segments is being carried out at the NCRTC's casting yard in Shatabdi Nagar, ensuring quality control.

The RRTS project is being executed on a 24x7 war footing to meet the prescribed timeline. Meerut Central, Bhaisali, and Begumpul are three underground stations in Meerut, with Meerut Central and Bhaisali being Metro stations, while Begumpul station will cater to both the RRTS and Metro services. NCRTC will provide local transit services on the RRTS network in Meerut, including the Meerut Metro, which will have 13 stations over a distance of 21 kilometers. NCRTC aims to complete the entire Meerut RRTS project by 2025.