Chennai Metro floats tender for tough tunnelling
RAILWAYS & METRO RAIL

Chennai Metro floats tender for tough tunnelling

Chennai Metro Rail Ltd (CMRL) has invited bids for the construction of twin tunnels and five underground stations between Nathamuni and Kolathur.

The rocky soil conditions make this one of the toughest and challenging stretches in phase-2 of the project.

The 5.8 km stretch is the only underground section in corridor-5 from Sholinganallur to Madhavaram. This is the 11th tender floated for the construction of 118.9 km phase-2.

Construction for the phase is expected to begin by mid-2021 with CMRL likely to start building the elevated line between Poonamallee and Porur bypass. The phase is expected to be ready by 2026

The firm that bags the contract will have to build twin tunnels for the upline and downline and connect them with five underground stations across at least two major localities Kolathur and Villivakkam. The stations will come up at Villivakkam bus terminus, Kolathur, Villivakkam suburban station, Srinivasa Nagar, and Nathamuni. The contractor will build entry-exit points of the stations, architectural finishes, ventilation shafts, and more. The deadline for the work is about four years.

CMRL identified the line from Kolathur to Nathamuni as one of the two toughest stretches in phase-2 due to its soil conditions, primarily hard rocks like black granite or a mix of quartz charnockite. The condition could pose an engineering challenge as the tunnel boring machines will have to be operated at an appropriate speed - even as slow as below 8 m a day, to keep vibrations it may cause to a minimum, to prevent buildings above from being affected. Tunnels in this stretch will be at a depth of 15 m to 21 m.

In phase-1, rock soil conditions slowed down the project. While a contractor abandoned work on the Anna Salai stretch claiming they hit rocky soil that was not anticipated, it took nearly six months for engineers to drill a 500 m rocky stretch near Central station. This also required engineers to replace the cutters or blades frequently.

For details of CMRL tender for the tunnelling work, click here.

Also read: Chennai Metro creates 3D model for phase 2

Chennai Metro Rail Ltd (CMRL) has invited bids for the construction of twin tunnels and five underground stations between Nathamuni and Kolathur. The rocky soil conditions make this one of the toughest and challenging stretches in phase-2 of the project. The 5.8 km stretch is the only underground section in corridor-5 from Sholinganallur to Madhavaram. This is the 11th tender floated for the construction of 118.9 km phase-2. Construction for the phase is expected to begin by mid-2021 with CMRL likely to start building the elevated line between Poonamallee and Porur bypass. The phase is expected to be ready by 2026 The firm that bags the contract will have to build twin tunnels for the upline and downline and connect them with five underground stations across at least two major localities Kolathur and Villivakkam. The stations will come up at Villivakkam bus terminus, Kolathur, Villivakkam suburban station, Srinivasa Nagar, and Nathamuni. The contractor will build entry-exit points of the stations, architectural finishes, ventilation shafts, and more. The deadline for the work is about four years. CMRL identified the line from Kolathur to Nathamuni as one of the two toughest stretches in phase-2 due to its soil conditions, primarily hard rocks like black granite or a mix of quartz charnockite. The condition could pose an engineering challenge as the tunnel boring machines will have to be operated at an appropriate speed - even as slow as below 8 m a day, to keep vibrations it may cause to a minimum, to prevent buildings above from being affected. Tunnels in this stretch will be at a depth of 15 m to 21 m. In phase-1, rock soil conditions slowed down the project. While a contractor abandoned work on the Anna Salai stretch claiming they hit rocky soil that was not anticipated, it took nearly six months for engineers to drill a 500 m rocky stretch near Central station. This also required engineers to replace the cutters or blades frequently. For details of CMRL tender for the tunnelling work, click here. Also read: Chennai Metro creates 3D model for phase 2

Next Story
Technology

We’re building robots that flow, not just move

Founded in 2021, Flo Mobility is reimagining construction automation with vision-AI robots designed for seamless movement through complex sites. In conversation with CW, Manesh Jain, Founder & CEO, discusses the company’s origin, its LiDAR-free tech stack, and expansion plans in the Middle East and US.What inspired the name Flo Mobility? Why ‘Flo’ and not ‘Flow’?When we started the company in 2021, our focus was on building autonomous navigation systems for robots. Since our work centred around robot movement, ‘mobility’ naturally became part of the name. We wanted to co..

Next Story
Real Estate

We’re committed to setting benchmarks in sustainable luxury living

From a landmark land acquisition in Boisar to ambitious launches across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), National Capital Region (NCR), Bengaluru and Pune, Birla Estates is driving future-ready growth with a strong focus on sustainability, partnerships and premium living, firmly anchored in its LifeDesigned® philosophy. K T Jithendran, Managing Director & CEO, outlines the company’s premium, sustainable growth playbook in conversation with PRATAP PADODE, Editor-in-Chief, CW. Excerpts:Birla Estates recently acquired a 70.92-acre land parcel in Boisar, Maharashtra, for..

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

Mumbai’s land crunch and ageing homes call for structured renewal

Founded in 2022, Etonhurst Capital Partners is a real-estate fund management platform focused on the Indian market. As the firm achieves the first close of Rs 1.8 billion for its debut Rs 5 billion fund, Bamasish Paul, Co-founder, Managing Partner & CEO, discusses its sharp focus on redevelopment-driven value creation in Mumbai’s urban core with CW. Excerpts:Etonhurst Capital has achieved a significant milestone with the first close of Rs 1.8 billion for its Rs 5 billion fund. What factors contributed to this early success and how do you plan to attract further investments to r..

Advertisement

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Talk to us?