NCRTC Achieves Tunnel Breakthrough on Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RAPIDX Corridor

NCRTC (National Capital Region Transport Corporation) reached another significant milestone with the successful tunnel breakthrough on the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RAPIDX corridor in Ghaziabad on Wednesday, May 10, 2023. The Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) Sudarshan 4.3 completed the breakthrough from the retrieval shaft located opposite Vaishali Metro Station, Ghaziabad. This achievement follows the first tunnel breakthrough by Sudarshan 4.1 in the Delhi section back in April of this year.

Sudarshan 4.3 was deployed for tunneling approximately 2 kilometers from Anand Vihar RAPIDX Station towards Sahibabad. After being lowered at the launching shaft north of Anand Vihar RAPIDX Station, it completed the tunnelling work in under 11 months. The RAPIDX tunnels have a diameter of 6.5 meters, optimized for a design speed of 180 km/h, which surpasses global benchmarks. This is the first time a tunnel of such a large size is being constructed in comparison to other rail-based urban mass transit systems in the country.

Tunneling in this section posed challenges as it passes underneath a flyover, a drain, and industrial establishments while heading towards Sahibabad. However, through strategic planning and innovative methods, NCRTC successfully overcame these challenges, ensuring minimum inconvenience to the public.

For the 82-kilometer Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RAPIDX corridor, a total of four tunnels are being constructed in the Delhi and Ghaziabad sections to facilitate smooth movement in both directions. This includes two parallel tunnels, each around 3 kilometers in length, from Anand Vihar to New Ashok Nagar RAPIDX Station, and twin tunnels approximately 2 kilometers long from Anand Vihar to Sahibabad RAPIDX Station.

Four Sudarshan TBMs were employed for the underground section construction in Delhi and Ghaziabad, responsible for boring all four tunnels. Currently, two tunnels have been completed, while the remaining two have around 800 meters left to be bored, with two Sudarshan TBMs working tirelessly day and night to complete the task. To ensure a long tunnel life, more than 9,500 high-precision precast tunnel segments, each 1.5 meters in length, have been utilized in the construction of the 2-kilometer-long tunnel. These tunnel segments are joined together using bolts and are cast at NCRTC’s Casting Yard in Karkardooma, Delhi.

NCRTC aims to commission the entire 82-kilometer Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RAPIDX corridor for public use by 2025. Prior to that, a 17-kilometer-long Priority Section between Sahibabad and Duhai will be operationalized shortly, ahead of schedule.