Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Limited Underground Construction

Project Features
Total Length of Project: 3.67 km
No. of Stations: 3
Length of UP Line Tunnel from Sachivalaya to Hazratganj Station: 811.503 m
Length of Down Line Tunnel from Sachivalaya to Hazratganj Station: 782.749 m
Contractor: Gulermak-TPLJV
Total number of TBMs: 2 (Ganga & Gomti)
TBM Manufacturer: Terratec (Australia)
TBM for Up Line: Gomti
TBM for Down Line: Ganga
General depth of rail level below ground level: -12m to -15m

Tunnel Segments and Rings
Total number of rings reqd. for Up Line: 579
Total number of rings reqd. for Down Line: 559
Segment type: Universal
No of segments per ring: 6 (5+1)
Internal diameter of ring: 5800 mm
Outer diameter of ring: 6350 mm
Width of each ring: 1400 mm
Thickness of segment: 275 mm

Features of TBM
Type of TBM: Single Shield Earth Pressure Balance
Length: 9.875m
No. of Backup Gantries: 7
Gantry 1: Operator cabin, hydraulic system
Gantry 2: VFD panel, Grout system
Gantry 3: Power distribution, Additive and Foam system
Gantry 4: Transformers, cooling water reservoir & dewatering system
Gantry 5: Emergency generator
Gantry 6: Backup Conveyor Discharge & material storage
Gantry 7: Cable & hose storage, Ventilation cassette and booster fan
Average Tunnelling progress: 8.4 m/day (6 rings per day) / tunnel
Length of Initial Drive: 70 m
Excavation Diameter: 6560 mm

On 25 November 2013, LMRCL (now UPMRCL) was incorporated as a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) under the Companies Act, 1956. The construction of phase I A of Lucknow Metro (Transport Nagar to Charbagh) started on 27 September 2014 and was completed in record time, with the first trial runs on 01/12/2016. The operations on this priority corridor started on 05 September 2017. Parallelly, the civil construction activities for phase-I extension (CCS Airport, Charbagh to Munshipulia Metro Station) started on 20 October 2016 and was completed on 23 February 2019, way ahead of the deadline set for April 2019.

The construction of Lucknow Metro consists of 04 underground metro stations in which 03 (Hussainganj, Sachivalaya and Hazaratganj) are constructed using Tunnel Boring Machines and 01 (CCS Airport) with the help of cut and cover method.

Lucknow Metro
Underground work between Charbagh & Hazratganj
Method: Tunnel Boring Machine

Challenges
Despite being the first TBM project in Lucknow, the complete assembly of the TBM took only 34 weeks from the time of award of contract to GULERMAK-TPL JV, which is a record since the assembling process usually takes about a year. This became possible due to meticulous planning and execution of parallel works by UPMRC engineers and the executing agency.

Utility identification proved to be an issue. The entire city had already been utilized for civic infrastructure facilities. The old city area has a high water level, which created difficulties in underground construction. The roads in the area are congested and the daily traffic management a big issue. Traffic diversion was a challenge because substitute routes were needed to ease the problems. The team had to widen some footpaths, remove electrical poles, cables & amp; also shift some water pipelines and sewer lines. With efficient management, it was ensured that the public did not face any problem while commuting.


During construction of the underground section, 4.5 lakh tons of mud was removed to make the tunnels. The TBMs excavated through stiff and hard clayey silt and through medium and dense silty sand, passing beneath historic buildings in the Capital Plaza of Hazratganj (heritage district) without any disturbance to buildings, public utilities or traffic.

The EPB machines have a classic soil configuration with a spoke-style cutterhead and a 57% opening ratio. The cutting tools were designed to be interchangeable with 17 inch roller disc cutters, allowing the TBMs to bore through station diaphragm walls and cope with unexpected obstacles in the ground.

The final drives from Charbagh to Hussainganj were particularly challenging as the TBMs had to pass 1m below the bed of the Haider Nallah canal in a highly populated area which was full of dilapidated structures on weak foundations.

Diaphragm Wall
A total 130, 120, and 122 diaphragm walls were installed in Hussainganj, Sachivalaya and Hazaratganj Metro Station. These walls were constructed in panels to a depth of about 22 meter using construction machinery like Hydraulic rig with in-built control mechanism and cranes. It also helped in safe and speedy work of the underground section.

Two 6.52 m diameter Earth Pressure Balance machines broke through simultaneously at Lucknow Hussainganj underground metro station to complete tunnelling on phase 1A of the Lucknow Metro for the Gulermak-TATA Projects JV.

The double breakthrough by the EPBMs from Terratec at the end of April 2018 completed the third drives of the contract two months ahead of schedule and marked the completion of tunnelling works on the 3.67km long Charbagh-Hazratganj underground stretch in approximately 15 months.


Underground Work of CCS Airport
Method: Cut and Cover

• The construction works of CCS Airport Metro Station completed in a record time of just 19 months and 10 days, which is 10 months and 20 days ahead of scheduled time of completion.
• The construction work of CCS Airport Metro Station commenced on July 13, 2017 and was completed on Feb 22, 2019.
• The project obtained the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety certification for commencement of commercial operations on 23rd February 2019.
• Procurement of requisite material, manpower and resources was the biggest challenge, which was mitigated by UPMRC through meticulous planning.
• To construct CCS Airport Metro Station, construction methodology of cut and cover had been modified to top down instead of bottom up to fit in the intended time schedule.
• Selection of experienced personnel, advanced work methodology, optimum mechanized works, and team work were the key attributes.
• The most special and user-friendly feature of CCS Airport Metro Station is that it is directly connected to both domestic and international terminals of Lucknow Airport.
• The breath-taking artwork at CCS Airport Metro Station depicting ‘Krishna Artwork’ has been the major attraction for passengers since the commencement of train operations from CCS Airport on 8th March 2019.
• SAM India Builtwell played a crucial role in this successful endeavour.

Apart from the above, the following projects of Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Limited will also be constructed by using the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBMs) and Cut & Cover Techniques.

Lucknow Metro Project (Proposed East-West Corridor)
The Lucknow Metro East-West Corridor (proposed) will cover a distance of 11.3 Kilometers with 07 Underground Metro Stations and 05 elevated Metro stations.

The revised Detailed Project Report of this corridor has been submitted to the Government and is under their consideration.

The details of the Underground Metro Stations of this corridor are as under:

1. Charbagh ( Connectivity with the Railway Station, Interchangeable with the operational North-South Corridor)
2. Gautam Budh Marg
3. Aminabad
4. Pandeyganj
5. Lucknow City Railway Station (Connectivity with the Railway Station of Northern-Eastern Railway)
6. Medical Chauraha (Connect with the Medical University)
7. Nawabganj

Kanpur Metro
Underground Metro Stations
Technique: TBM

Kanpur Metro Rail Project comprising 2 corridors has a total length of 32.5 km. First corridor from ‘IIT Kanpur to Naubasta’ is 23.8 km long while the second corridor from ‘Chandrashekar Azad Agriculture University to Barra-8’ is 8.6 km long. The Priority Section from ‘IIT to Motijheel’ of first corridor having 9 elevated metro stations is ready for commercial operations.

The first corridor (IIT to Naubasta) is divided into 4 sections, namely, Priority Section (IIT to Motijheel), and underground section-1 (Chunniganj to Nayaganj); There will be underground section-2 (Kanpur Central Railway Station to Transport Nagar) and balance section (Baradevi to Naubasta).

On 11th October 2021, Kanpur Metro commenced construction of the first diaphragm wall panel for Naveen Market underground station, while casting work of pre-cast structures at New Casting Yard for Underground Section-I at HBTU campus has entered an important stage. In the coming months, the work of tunnel construction in underground section-1 with tunnel boring machine will also be started.

Agra Metro
Agra Metro is an urban mass rapid transit system (MRTS) being developed in Agra, the third most populated city in Uttar Pradesh, Northern India.

Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC), a joint venture (JV) between the Indian government and the Uttar Pradesh state government, is the implementing agency of the project. UPMRC also operates the Lucknow Metro and Kanpur Metro rail systems in the state.

The Agra Metro project was launched in March 2019 while construction began in December 2020. The estimated cost of the project is €908m ($1,099.39m). The new metro service is scheduled to start operations in January 2024.

The project involves the development of two corridors, with 27 stations in the 29.4km-long first phase, to improve connectivity to and from important tourist destinations in the city including the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, and Sikandra. The second phase development plans are yet to be revealed by UPMRC.

Corridor 1: Sikandara to Taj East gate
Distance: 14 Kilometers

This corridor will have 08 Underground Metro Stations and 07 Elevated Metro Stations. The details are as follows:

1. University (Underground with station building at the surface),
2. RBS College
3. Raja ki Mandi (connectivity with the Raja Ki Mandi Railway Station),
4. Agra College (Interchangeable with Corridor 02)
5. Medical College
6. Jama Masid
7. Agra Fort (Underground with station building at the surface)
8. Taj Mahal (Underground with station building at the surface)

Corridor 2: Agra Cantt. to Kalindi Vihar
Distance: 16 Kilometers
This corridor will have all 16 Elevated Metro Stations.