DMRC digs dipper for Tughlakabad-Aerocity Silver Line corridor

The upcoming Silver Line, connecting Tughlakabad to Aerocity as part of Delhi Metro’s Phase 4 expansion, will pass under 17 pairs of active railway tracks. While Delhi Metro lines have passed below railway tracks in the past too, DMRC said that the number of tracks -- between Tughlakabad and Tughlakabad Railway Colony stations -- involved in the project is the highest. The new Metro line will be around 23 metres below the rail level. A gap of 15 metres shall be maintained between the railway tracks and the Metro tunnel below. Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) will be pressed into service to carry out the tunnelling work. This will be a major engineering challenge since no disruption will be caused to the movement of trains on this section while carrying out the construction work. Executive director, corporate communication, DMRC, Anuj Dayal, informed that the length of the railway tracks crossed by the upcoming Delhi Metro line will be about 110 metres. The railway lines on this stretch are part of the Delhi-Palwal railway route – a fairly busy corridor of the railway network within the national capital.

To ensure that the work is executed in a safe manner, adequate instrumentation will be done to monitor the railway tracks on a 24x7 basis. State of the art monitoring equipment such as inclinometers and tiltmeters will also be used. The project is expected to be completed by 2025.