GMRC expedites tunneling works on Surat metro project
The Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation has fast-tracked the Phase-I of the Surat Metro Rail Project comprising an underground 6.5km stretch from Kapodrato Chowk Bazar through Labheshwar Chowk, Central Warehouse, Surat Railway Station up to Maskati Hospital. Stations will be developed at all these locations, and the length of each underground station will be nearly 200m, while the depth ranges between 11m and 33m. The underground stations will be connected through twin tunnels having an excavated diameter of 6.8m and with finished diameters of 5.8m. The tunnels of the metro rail will be constructed using four high-tech earth pressure balance TBMs matching global standards in tunnel design and construction. TBMs deliver high safety in tunneling work environments as well as no impact to surface structures and provide high performance in deep and long tunnels incurring low tunnel maintenance cost and high construction progress rates when it comes to soft ground soil especially considering Surat's geology. These machines make relatively negligible noise, vibrations and surface disturbances making it an ideal choice of tunneling method for underground construction in urban areas. As safe tunneling using EPB TBMs is a proven method for construction of underground tunnel infrastructure in densely populated areas of the old city with buildings as it provides greater control on tunnel-induced effects on the surface for the existing building structures.
