In a significant leap forward for Delhi’s urban transit infrastructure, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has accomplished a major engineering milestone with a tunnel breakthrough at Tughlakabad Railway Colony station. This development is part of Phase IV’s Aerocity–Tughlakabad corridor, widely known as the Golden Line.
On the morning of 29 July, a 91-metre-long Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM), deployed by M/s Afcons Infrastructure Ltd., completed the excavation of a 0.792 km underground tunnel. The tunnel is one of two parallel passageways designed to accommodate up and down metro train movement. Constructed at an average depth of 18 metres, the tunnel comprises 559 precisely engineered concrete rings, each forming part of a 5.8-metre diameter circular lining.
The concrete segments used in the tunnel lining were precast at a dedicated casting facility in Mundka, where advanced steam curing methods were applied to accelerate strength gain—ensuring rapid project progression without compromising durability.
Utilizing the Earth Pressure Balancing Method (EPBM), a state-of-the-art tunneling technique, the project team maintained ground stability throughout the excavation. This method is especially suited for operations in densely populated urban environments, allowing safe tunneling with minimal surface impact. A network of high-precision monitoring instruments was also deployed to continuously track ground movement and ensure the protection of existing surface structures.
This newly completed stretch is part of the 19.343 km underground segment on the 23.622 km-long Golden Line. Overall, Phase IV includes more than 40 km of underground lines, reinforcing DMRC’s commitment to expanding safe, efficient, and sustainable mass transit in the capital.
Since its early years, DMRC has relied extensively on TBMs, which have become a cornerstone of modern urban tunneling by enabling precise, deep excavation under challenging conditions. The Tughlakabad breakthrough marks another step closer to delivering next-generation mobility solutions for Delhi’s growing population.
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