METRO’S ‘GROUNDBREAKING’ MOMENT
Tunnel boring machine ‘Gomti’ emerges in front of Sahu Cinema
Lucknow Metro workers
(in pic) celebrate after the tunnel boring machine completed its first ‘deep-dig’ from Bapu Bhawan to Hazratganj (812 metres), in Lucknow on Monday.
History was created when LMRC’s tunnel boring machine (TBM), ‘Gomti’, emerged in Hazratganj on Monday after making an 812-metre tunnel from Bapu Bhavan to Sahu Cinema.
The TBM had began its journey on January 23, 2017. In just six and a half months ‘Gomti’ covered the Bapu Bhavan-Sahu Cinema distance at the rate of 8.4 metres per day.
Jubilant over the achievement, the LMRC staff danced and clicked photographs with the Tricolour in their hand when the TBM roared out of the tunnel.
LMRC MD Kumar Keshav said, “The Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation has achieved one of the biggest milestones in the form of completion of first TBM drive in the construction of underground metro in Uttar Pradesh. Now, the focus is on dedicating the priority section from Transport Nagar to Charbagh to the public as soon as possible.”
“Hazratganj is the main market of the city and no one would have thought of underground metro network in the busiest market five years back. I thank all the traders and people of Lucknow who cooperated with the LMRC for the work in the area,” he said.
He added, “The state-of-theart on-board computerised tunnel guidance system has been provided in TBMs to ensure that tunnelling is done as per the designed alignment with the highest level of accuracy. Extensive instrumentation has been done throughout the underground stretch and continuous online and real- time monitoring is done by a team of dedicated experts to ensure safety during TBM operation.”
The 3.67-km underground stretch of Lucknow metro project starts immediately after Charbagh and covers three underground stations at Hussainganj, Bapu Bhavan Sachivalaya and Hazratganj.
The work of tunneling in this section was started from the Sachivalaya underground metro station using two tunnel boring machines (TBMs) named –‘Gomti’ and ‘Ganga’ for Up and Down lines respectively.
“The tunneling in this stretch posed a big technical challenge as the route passes beneath highly congested areas and basements of commercial establishments. Laying tracks at a depth of 12-25m below ground level was a big challenge. LMRC has accomplished the difficult mission of not affecting the working of commercial establishments even for a day while tunneling beneath them,” said Keshav.
The 75-metre-long tunnel boring machine ‘Gomti’ took about six and a half months to complete tunnelling of 812 m length from Sachivalaya to Hazratganj metro station.
The tunnel boring machine will be taken out as it will start digging the tunnel from Bapu Bhavan to Hussainganj within a few days.
The second TBM ‘Ganga’, which is working Down Line between Sachivalaya and Hazratganj, has completed 782 m tunnelling and its breakthrough is also expected shortly.