TBM Rudra records final tunnel breakthrough for Bangalore Metro Phase 2

Bengaluru, India (Metro Rail Today): Today marked a significant milestone for the Bangalore Metro as Afcons Infrastructure Limited commemorated the successful final breakthrough of Tunnel Boring Machine S-1259, affectionately known as Rudra, at Langford Town Station. This event, a part of the ongoing development of the 21.386 km Pink Line (Nagawara – Kalena Agrahara), is a testament to the remarkable progress of the Bangalore Metro's Phase 2 project.

Rudra, a formidable Herrenknecht slurry machine, recently concluded its third assignment, covering a remarkable 114 days of tireless work, after making its way from Lakkasandra Station. This accomplishment adds to Afcons' tally of 8 planned tunnel breakthroughs for the 73.92 km Bangalore Metro Phase 2 project's 3.655 km Package RT-01, crucially connecting Rashtriya Military School Station to Dairy Circle South Ramp. Notably, Rudra's counterparts, Varada and Vamika, had already completed their tunneling tasks in September 2022 and August 2023, respectively.

The journey of Rudra began when it was originally commissioned from Dairy Circle's South Ramp back in April 2021. Over time, Rudra showcased its extraordinary capabilities, with key achievements including the completion of the following tunneling drives:

• November 2021: South Ramp to Dairy Circle Station (613m)
• April 2023: Dairy Circle to Lakkasandra (746m)
• October 2023: Lakkasandra to Langford Town (718m)

According to a detailed banner displayed at the site, Rudra's accomplishments during its tenure included recording 3 breakthroughs, handling 122 interventions, and spending 518 days in its momentous journey. Impressively, it erected a total of 1485 rings, solidifying its contribution to the Bangalore Metro's Phase 2 expansion.

With the successful completion of its tasks, Rudra joins the ranks of Varada, Avni, Urja, Lavi, Vindhya, and Vamika as the seventh of nine machines to fulfill all of its tunneling assignments. The completion of tunneling works on three out of four packages of Phase 2 indicates significant progress, with 22 out of 26 tunnel breakthroughs accomplished. This includes 8 out of 8 on Package RT-01 by Afcons, 4 out of 4 on RT-02 by L&T, 6 out of 6 on RT-03 by L&T, and 4 out of 8 on RT-04 by ITD Cementation.

Notably, the completion of the Pink Line's twin tunnels has facilitated seamless connectivity from South Ramp (on Afcons' Package RT-01) to Venkateshpura (on ITD's Package RT-04), covering a substantial distance of approximately 10.8 km. As the overall tunneling progress reaches 18.45 km out of 20.9 km, recent updates as of October 25th indicate promising advancements with TBM Tunga completing 84% of 1184m and Bhadra covering 60% of 1186m for their third of four drives on RT-04.

In conclusion, the successful completion of the Bangalore Metro's TBM Rudra's final breakthrough serves as a testament to the relentless efforts and exceptional engineering achievements driving the progression of the Bangalore Metro Phase 2 project, further solidifying the city's commitment to sustainable and efficient urban transportation infrastructure.