Afcons Infrastructure achieves tunnelling breakthrough in Delhi-Meerut RRTS project

Afcons Infrastructure's Terratec Earth Pressure Balance (EPB) machine, Sudarshan 8.2, has achieved a significant milestone in the Delhi-Meerut Rapid Rail Transit System (RRTS) project. The machine has made its first breakthrough in the tunneling process, which is the longest of Package 8, measuring 1824 meters from the Bhaisali RRTS Station to Meerut Central Station.

Afcons was awarded the civil construction contract for Package 8, valued at ₹1529.10 crores, in November 2020 with a completion timeframe of 3.6 years. The project involves the construction of six tunnel pairs, three underground stations at Meerut Central, Bhaisali, and Begumpul, and the utilization of the cut and cover method.

The breakthrough marks the first for Sudarshan 8.2 and the third of six planned breakthroughs for Afcons Infrastructure as part of Package 8. Previous successes were achieved by TBM S90 at the Begumpul Station in October 2022 and TBM S88 at the Meerut Central Station in December 2022.