DMRC finishes tunneling at Lajpat Nagaru00a0

The Delhi Metro has inched a little closer to south Delhi. The final breakthrough in tunnelling work at Lajpat Nagar, on the Central Secretariat-Badarpur line, is over.

"The rings were erected by the last Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) between Jangpura and Lajpat Nagar, a distance of about half-a-kilometre, and the TBM is now poised for the final breakthrough of Phase-II at Lajpat Nagar on the line," said Delhi Metro Rail Corporation's (DMRC) spokesperson Anuj Dayal.

This is the last underground stretch of the Delhi Metro being constructed with the help of TBMs. About 28 per cent of Delhi Metro's Phase-II is underground.

"DMRC's most challenging TBM operation during Phase-II was the tunneling from INA to Jor Bagh, as hard rock severely damaged some of the cutting tools and caused the cutter wheel to stall in September 2008. After exploring various options, it was decided to replace the soft ground-cutting wheel of the TBM with a suitable rock-cutting wheel. The work was delayed by about six months but the original tunnel alignment was maintained and the tunnel completed as designed," said Dayal.