On June 21, 2024, crew members celebrated a milestone at India’s Agra Metro Project. A 6.52 m diameter Robbins EPB had completed an intermediate breakthrough into SN Medical College Metro Station. The breakthrough was a significant achievement for the contractor, Afcons Infrastructure – Sam India Consortium, as the machine continues its bore on the 29.40 km Agra Metro Phase 1 project.

“We want to congratulate Afcons-Sam India on the continued success at Agra Metro. They’ve completed this most recent bore in less than three months in a dense urban setting, which is a great result,” said Robbins President Lok Home. “We are confident in the long life and exceptionally robust design of our TBMs, especially when they are well maintained and properly operated.”

The machine was launched on March 23, and completed the 508 m bore through soft clay strata. The breakthrough is the fourth for the Robbins EPB, nicknamed ‘Yamuna’. Previous breakthroughs included one in close proximity to the Taj Mahal. About 200 m or two soccer fields away from the world-renowned structure, that breakthrough was heavily monitored and tracked by the office of the Prime Minister and many others.

‘Yamuna’ is the first of two 6.52 m Robbins EPBs to reach the SN Medical College Metro Station. It’s twin, nicknamed ‘Ganga’, is currently boring a parallel tunnel. The two spoke-type Robbins EPBs, refurbished and customized for soft ground conditions, were originally launched in February and April of 2023.  The condition of the TBMs has been good as they broke through into various intermediate stations, requiring no further refurbishments and brief maintenance periods of 15 to 20 days before they were launched again.  The TBMs have required minimal usage of spares and cutters during their bores, and both TBMs have thus far successfully bored within their contractual time frames. The bores thus far have included: Ramleela Maidan to Agra Fort Station (334 m); Agra Fort Station to Shahjahan Gardens Midshaft (175 m); Shahjahan Gardens Midshaft to Taj Mahal Station (1175 m) and finally Agra College to SN Medical College (508 m).

Now, the Robbins TBM ‘Yamuna’ will be moved through the station box of SN Medical College and recommissioned in the direction of Jama Masjid Station, also known as Mankameshwar Mandir Station. It will cover a distance of about 1290 m.

With the completion of the 11th breakthrough, seven more remain: two at Raja ki Mandi, two at Agra College, one at SN Medical College, and two at Jama Masjid (Mankameshwar).

Afcons – Sam India Consortium was awarded the Rs. 1819.79 crore civil construction contract for underground Package AGCC-02 by Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC) in March 2022, with a 48-month timeline. Twin tunnels link the seven stations at Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Jama Masjid, SN Medical College, Agra College, Raja Ki Mandi, and RBS College.

The high-profile project is one of many metro railway tunnels underway in the country from Mumbai to Delhi, Bangalore to Chennai. Rajat Jain, Sr. Manager of Sales & Operations at Robbins India, sees it as a trend likely to continue: “India has emerged as a top market for tunneling due to several key factors and trends. These include India’s rapid urbanization and demand for infrastructure development, advances in tunneling technology that have made the process more efficient and safer, and India’s growing economy. Tunnels play a crucial role in developing seamless connectivity across the country, reducing travel time, and enhancing the efficiency of goods movement​.”

source Robbins TBM.