TERRATEC is pleased to announce the launch of another EPB TBM for Surat Metro in India. This unit is a refurbished 6.61m diameter Earth Pressure Balance Tunnel Boring Machine (EPBM) that will be used by J. Kumar on Phase I of Surat Metro Rail Project UG-02. TERRATEC is the sole TBM supplier for Phase I of Surat Metro Rail project.

TERRATEC has secured all four machine orders for this project: A combination of both brand-new and refurbished EPBMs will be used. For Package UG-01, Gulermak-Sam India JV will use a brand new EPBM and a refurbished TBM and for Package UG-02, J. Kumar will use two refurbished TBMs. TERRATEC provides all spare parts, onsite technical assistance and a key field service engineer for the whole refabrication.

Followed by successful Site Acceptance Tests, Contractor J. Kumar will deploy two 6.61m diameter refurbished EPBM TBMs at Chowk Bazar Station for Surat Metro Phase I’s 3.56 km underground Package UG-2 / CS-3 from Surat Railway Station to Chowk Bazar Ramp. These two EPBM TBMs had previously seen action at Delhi Metro’s Phase III Pink Line’s Package CC-24 from Lajpat Nagar to Hazrat Nizamuddin and underwent their refurbishment in India. The machines will be used for constructing 4 tunnels on the 21.61 km Line-1’s 7.02 km underground section connecting Chowk Bazar and Kapodra Ramp.

The Surat Metro is an under-construction rapid transit rail system for Surat in Gujarat state of India. Two corridors with a combined length of 40.35 kilometers are under construction since January 2021. The new 6.61m diameter EPBM TBM has completed approximately 490 rings as of today. All 4 machines are operated with the assistance of TERRATEC field service team.

The geological conditions along the tunnel alignments will be sand, clay, gravel and silt. A twin bored underground tunnel will be built between the Northern ramp and Surat Railway Metro station, using all cut and cover methods across 6 underground stations. For Package UG-01, it covers Kapodra, Labheshwar Chowk and Central Warehouse stations. For Package UG-02, it covers Chowk Bazar, Maskati Hospital and Surat Railway stations.

As for Gulermak-Sam India JV, a brand new EPBM and a refurbished TBM will be used to complete the tunnelling works for Phase-I of Surat Metro Rail Project. Package UG-01 and Package UG-02 consist of a 7km underground tunnel and six underground stations.

Both machines will build a total of 6 tunnels for the 3.46 km Package CS2 / UG-01 which was awarded in March 2021 by Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation (GMRC). Gulermak-Sam’s scope also includes the construction of 3 stations at Kapodra, Labheshwar Chowk and Central Warehouse.

The versatile TERRATEC EPBM units have robust mixed-face dome-style cutterheads designed to work effectively in the expected geological conditions. As the TBMs progress, they will install 1,400mm wide by 275mm thick pre-cast concrete lining rings, which consist of five segments plus a key. Muck removal, segment transport and logistics supply will be via locomotive and muck cars.

For added versatility, TERRATEC has designed the CutterHead to allow the cutting tools to be exchangeable for 17’’ disc cutters, allowing the TBM to be able to bore through the D-walls and cope with the presence of any unexpected obstacle on its way, such as old wells or foundations.

Surat is a city in the Western Indian state of Gujarat and is one of the largest urban areas of Western India. Famous for its diamond cutting and polishing, Surat is also one of the world's fastest-growing cities. In Phase I, 20 metro stations will be built on the first corridor from Sarthana to DREAM City route and 18 metro stations will be built on the second corridor from Bhesan to Saroli.

TERRATEC has been chosen for the underground tunnel package in Surat Metro Rail Project due to TERRATEC’s continuing success on projects such as Phase III & IV of the Delhi Metro, Lucknow Metro, Pune Metro, Kanpur Metro, Ahmadabad Metro and Mumbai Metro. This is a result of tailor-made robust TBM design, prompt onsite assistance, readily available stock of TBM spares and highly-skilled specialised TBM support throughout tunnelling operations

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