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Metro Underground - Who Is Gaining the Expertise?
Written By pdk - 19 November, 2011
Bangalore Namma Metro Citizen Reports BMRC underground Transportation public transport Tunnel Metro Rail
Came across this report in DH: Metro’s Phase-I unlikely to meet deadline. From June 2012, to December 2013, to March 2014 and now December 2014, though Mr Sreehari admits anything before mid-2015 is a pipedream. Rs 65 lakhs per day down the drain.
More interestingly, the latest reason for the delay: the EPB Tunnel Boring Machines are set to land up only in June 2012! One from Italy and two from China Remember this is two years after 38 kms of underground metro were completed in Delhi.
And who has the contract for the underground section of the North-South corridor? Tanstonnelsboy-Coastal JV. In this time and age, one would expect a Google search to return something. But nothing on these guys, except the BMRCL-related links.
Leaving that aside I went looking for who CEC-SOMA, who are doing the other underground sections (http://bmrc.co.in/pdf/news/newsletternov11.pdf). CEC is a Taiwanese company. They are going to do the tunnelling while Soma builds the stations (link). This is what they have done in Delhi too (link).
I remember an earlier discussion on Praja about underground/overground metro. Someone pointed out that we need to let the locals get their hands wet with doing an underground segment, then it would become commoditised, leading to lower costs and more underground stretches. He/she also hoped, that with the expertise maybe we would even start making TBMs ourselves (or rather, our engineering giants would). Working ecosystems etc...
Doesn't look like that's happening. The way I see it, the only people who look like getting their hands wet are the manual workers helping out with the tunneling.
COMMENTS
Third TBM for East-West UG section?
yantraka - 8 March, 2012 - 03:46
The latest BMRCL newsletter (March 2012) mentions - Excavation of launching shaft in Cubbon Road to launch 3rd TBM completed. I thought Soma-CEC JV planned to use only 2 TBMs.
srinidhi - 8 March, 2012 - 06:06
There is no mention of a 3rd TBM anywhere for the EW line..dont know why the news letter mentions it..guess they will move Helen to Cubbon road to start drilling..
The N-S line is supposed to have 3 TBM's..the first two being operational in June this year..and the third is expected to start from oct!
pdk - 21 November, 2011 - 06:53
Yes, I (as the article also mentions) was referring to the TBMs for the North-South corridors. The other u/g section is already on.
[Wanted to edit the post to reflect this, but Praja seems to be refusing both posting as well as editing of already posted stuff]
srinidhi - 20 November, 2011 - 01:19
Two TBM's (Helen and Margarita) are already drilling from the Majestic end towards Central college..Helen is already close to the 400 mts mark and is expected to come into Central college by mid december..
The delays were mostly in splitting up the UG tender cos of high cost if it was presented as a whole..
The news article above is of the other line NS line..where the tender was awarded recently..
Manufacturing TBM's in India may not be a viable option right now..but running them with minimal help from outside will become detrimental in reducing costs..and that the learing the Indian arm of the consortium should focus on..
Mid 2015 looks a likely date..not just cos of UG sections..the main tender of the interchange at Majestic has not been awarded yet!!
TBM drills into Central College yesterday
srinidhi - 28 February, 2012 - 05:44
Helen made it into central college grounds after drilling from Majestic yesterday...its a very important milestone which is hardly covered by press!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isixb5XuCF4&feature=player_embedded
skip to 4:20 to see it come out..
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