Kanpur Metro: Second Tunnel Boring Machine ‘Tatya’ Begins Tunneling

Gulermak - Sam India Builtwell commissioned tunnel boring machine S92 on Monday (8 August) at Bada Chauraha Station for the first 3.619 km underground section of the 32.4 km Kanpur Metro Phase 1 project.

The metro rail guy reports that this restored 6.52m diameter & 120m long Terratec Earth Pressure Balance (EPB) machine, nicknamed Tatya after Tatya Tope, was used to bore and construct a segment of Lucknow Metro's Line-1.

Early in July, Gulermak-SAM started lowering its components into the station's launch shaft.

The contract for Package KNPCC-05, which has a combined value of Rs. 769.23 crores and USD 3.674 million, was given to Gulermak - Sam India by Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC) in March 2021. In addition to tunnelling, they will build four 215m long stations at Chunniganj, Naveen Market, Bada Chauraha, and Nayaganj.

According to the tunnelling plan, this machine will be deployed on Package KNPCC-05 for a total of 4 drives, along with the new TBM S93, also known as Nana, on the upline:

• Bada Chauraha to Nayaganj: 989.5m

• Permat Ramp's cut & cover tunnel to Chunniganj: 414m

• Chunniganj to Naveen Market: 748m

• Naveen Market to Bada Chauraha: 516m

The early July-commissioned TBM Nana, named after Nana Saheb Peshwa, completed its initial drive of 84 meters last week, constructing 60 rings along the route. Now it will lower and attach a backup gantry to its main drive.

World-class and state-of-the-art TBMs have been employed to construct underground sections in Kanpur Metro. 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 meters in diameter will be constructed.

Kanpur Metro project

Kanpur is an industrial city in Uttar Pradesh, on the banks of the Ganga river. The city is well known for its industries, particularly leather and woollens. Kanpur is also well-known for its role in the country's freedom struggle. The present population of Kanpur is about 51 lakh, which is expected to go up to 65 lakh by 2041.

Because of large-scale development in Kanpur city, there has been a large expansion in the number of vehicles there. A need has been felt for a long time to develop and implement a fast-moving barrier-free public transport system.

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.

Corridor 1: IIT Kanpur – Naubasta

• Length: 23.8 km

• Type: Elevated (15.2 km) and Underground (8.6 km)

• Number of Stations: 21 (14 elevated & 7 underground)

• Completion cost: ₹ 11076.48 Cr.

• Status: Partially Operational (9 km) - The 9 km long priority section of Corridor-1 of the project from IIT Kanpur to Motijheel (9 elevated stations) was inaugurated by the Prime minister on 28 Dec 2021. The stations on the priority stretch include IIT Kanpur, Kalyanpur Railway Station, SPM Hospital, CSJM University, Gurudev Chauraha, Geeta Nagar, Rawatpur Railway Station, Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital and Moti Jheel.

Corridor 2: Chandrashekhar Azad Agriculture University to Barra-8

·Length: 8.6 km

• Type: Elevated (4.2 km) and Underground (4.4 km)

• Number of Stations: 8 (4 elevated & 4 underground)