The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) will soon start the track laying work at the Delhi section of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridor. This comes following the completion of tunnelling work from Anand Vihar towards New Ashok Nagar.
A Challenging Task
With this, the tunnelling work in the underground section of the corridor in the national capital has been completed. The construction was a challenging task for the engineers as it passes very close to the existing metro viaduct piling structures. It is also very near to the expressways and non-engineered buildings of Patparganj and Khichripur. All these challenges were tackled successfully by executing strategic planning and innovative methods.
Two tunnels constructed parallely
A total of two Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) were used for construction from Anand Vihar towards New Ashok Nagar. Sudarshan 4.1 TBM started tunnelling work in February 2022 and made the breakthrough in April 2023. Sudarshan 4.2 TBM commenced its operation in April 2022 and made a breakthrough recently.
Longest tunnel in Delhi
These parallel tunnels are the longest tunnel in Delhi made by any Tunnel Boring Machine and are about 3 kilometres each.
Tunnelling work between Anand Vihar to Sahibabad RAPIDX Station:-
The NCRTC has involved two more Sudarshan, 4.3 and 4.4 for the construction of a 2 km long tunnel from Anand Vihar towards Sahibabad RAPIDX Station. Sudarshan 4.3 made a breakthrough near Vaishali Metro Station in May 2023, while Sudarshan 4.4 has completed 75 per cent of the tunnelling work.
Diameter of RRTS tunnels
The RRTS tunnels have a diameter of 6.5 metres. This is highly optimized as compared to global benchmarks of tunnels for a similar design speed of 180 Kmph with wider and higher rolling stock.
Beginning of train operation
The NCRTC is set to operationalize a 17-km long Priority Section between Sahibabad and Duhai Depot shortly. However, the entire 82-km long Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut is expected to be opened for the public by 2025.