MahaMetro expedites excavation work for Range Hills-Swargate section

The Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MahaMetro) has achieved around 70% of the excavation of Metro tunnels on the Range Hills to the Swargate underground section. Maha Metro told the media that it has accelerated the work and aims to achieve the remaining excavation in the coming four months. Two parallel tunnels are being excavated for the up and down lines on the section that travels via Civil Court, Shivajinagar, Budhwar Peth, Kasba Peth, Mandai and ends in Swargate. The 6 km stretch between Range Hills and Swargate is underground, bringing the total excavation length of both tunnels to 12 km. Two tunnel-boring machines (TBMs) have been pressed into action. The TBMS are excavating from the Swargate-end till Kasba Peth. MahaMetro authorities said that the excavation of one tunnel on the complete route of Range Hills to Swargate would be concluded by December. Hemant Sonawane, general manager (public relations) at MahaMetro, told the media that the tunnelling work has been split into multiple phases to guarantee faster completion. So far, the work is moving at the expected speed. They are excavating about eight to 10 metres per day. He said that the excavation of tunnels between Range Hills and Kasba Peth was achieved in the first phase. Tunnelling has begun in the Kasba Peth to Swargate section. One tunnel has developed beyond Mandai. The TBM is likely to reach the Kasba Peth site in the coming two months. Another TBM, which began excavation around two months ago from Swargate, has closed in on the site of Mandai Metro station. Maha Metro authorities said that apart from the excavation of the tunnels, which cover 18-24 metres underground, its teams were also observing buildings situated above the ground in a 50-metre radius of the tunnel alignment. It is to verify if the excavation work is influencing the buildings adversely. Image Source ve the ground in a 50-metre radius of the tunnel alignment. It is to verify if the excavation work is influencing the buildings adversely.Image Source Also read: Nagpur civic body asked to handover station road project to Maha Metro