The Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) ‘Nana’ of the Kanpur Metro Rail Project has achieved its first milestone with the completion of an 84-metre-long tunnelling process.
TBM ‘Nana’ is engaged in constructing an approximately 4-km long tunnel for the underground section of the 23-km-long Corridor-1 of Kanpur Metro Rail.
Kanpur Metro Rail Project comprises two corridors. The first corridor from ‘IIT Kanpur to Naubasta’ is 23.8 km long, while the second corridor from ‘Chandrasekhar Azad Agriculture University to Barra-8’ is 8.6 km long. Both the corridors are to be completed by 2024.
In the last one month, TBM Nana installed 60 rings in the tunnel. The Economic Times reports that the Backup System Unit of the TBM will be lowered for automatic excavation work.
After connecting the Backup System Unit with the TBM’s shield, TBM Nana can move at a speed of about 12 to 15 meters per day.
The total length of Tunnel Boring Machines used in this underground section of Kanpur Metro is about 80 meters, and their weight is about 450 tonnes. With the help of these machines, a tunnel of 5.8 metres in diameter will be constructed.