UPMRC fast tracks tunneling work on Kanpur metro project

Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC) has initiated tunneling work on the 4-km long underground section between Chunniganj to Nayaganj, under the 23 km long Corridor-1 of Kanpur Metro Rail Project from IIT to Naubasta. Officiating MD, Sushil Kumar, informed that tunneling of the underground section between Chunniganj and Nayaganj will be carried out with the help of two Tunnel Boring Machines ‘Nana’ and ‘Tatya’. Both TBM machines were lowered inside a rectangular launching shaft which has a length of about 21 meters, a width of 24 meters and a depth of about 17.5 meters. Currently, construction of a down-line tunnel from Bada Chauraha to Nayaganj with the help of first TBM ‘Nana’ has begun and after a few days, construction of an up-line tunnel will also commence with the second TBM ‘Tatya’.

UPMRC has named the TBM machines as ‘Nana’ and ‘Tatya’ after the great freedom fighters who played an important role in the independence struggle. Both these revolutionaries also had a special bond with the city of Kanpur. The total length of Tunnel Boring Machines being used in this underground section is about 80 meters and their weight is about 450 tons. With the help of these machines, tunnel of 5.8 meters in diameter will be constructed. The tunneling work at the underground section between Chunniganj and Nayaganj is a new milestone for Kanpur Metro. The TBM ‘Nana’ and ‘Tatya’ will lead the way to fulfil the dream of a world-class Metro system in Kanpur. With the help of these state-of-the-art TBMs, UPMRC will be able to construct underground tunnels in the heart of the city with complete safety without affecting the traffic on the roads. Under the Kanpur Metro Rail Project, two metro corridors are to be constructed, the first between IIT to Naubasta, with a total length of about 23 km and the other between Chandrashekhar Azad University to Barra-8, with a length of about 8 km.