On January 20, 2020 Hoban Group inform that they won an order to supply the Gripper Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) for the GTX A line (GTX-A line 5) of the metropolitan area. The GTX-A line is the first of the GTX lines, and connects Unjeong Station in Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do with Dongtan Station in Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do. The total length of the tunnel is 4.4km, the order amount is 120 billion won and the construction period is about 40 months from the start date. Section 5 is considered to be a high-level construction project that passes through the Han River Lower (Section 6) and Seoul Station (Section 5) of the GTX-A line between Paju and Dongtan.

Hoban is a big construction company in Korea. They build TBM machines also. At 11.6 meter diameter, it is the largest diameter gripper tunnel boring machine in Korea. Hoban will manufacture the Gripper TBM also with parts imported. Hoban has already started working on Gripper TBM in District 5, Yeongpyeong-gu, Seoul.

The gripper TBM applied to this construction is the first TBM to be used to a double track railway in Korea and largest in diameter.
 

Hoban Group is foremost a construction company. Hoban website say (click here for Hoban website) they completed a total of 20 TBM tunneling sites with a total of 110km of tunnel. It is the largest number of TBM construction experiences in Korea. Hoban say they produced 13 open (no-shield Gripper) TBM machines and they plan to expand the application of the Open TBM process to railroads and road tunnels by adding TBMs bigger than 9 meters in diameter.

http://news.einfomax.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=4066545

Before this, Hoban Construction won the Banpocheon Basin Separate Tunnel to improve the comprehensive drainage of vulnerable areas in Gangnam Station during heavy rains. Total 1162 meters of tunnels will be built in Banpo-dong, Seocho-gu. Meanwhile, the construction industry expects to place orders for Dobongsan-Okjeong Subway Line 2 and Hwaseong-dongtan-Indeokwon Double Track Railroad 1 this year.