Delhi Metro deploys nine tunnel boring machines for Phase IV expansion
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is currently operating nine tunnel boring machines (TBMs) underground to connect new corridors across Delhi as part of its Phase IV expansion. The ongoing project involves constructing over 38 kilometers of underground sections to expand the city's transit network, with major work occurring in areas such as Aerocity, Mahipalpur, Vasant Kunj, and Sadar Bazar.
According to DMRC officials, a total of 15 TBMs are currently in Delhi, with nine actively digging and the remaining six at various other stages of tunnel creation. These specialized machines are designed to bore through diverse soil and rock strata without disrupting buildings and structures on the surface.
On the Golden Line, four TBMs are currently executing excavation work. This includes two machines operating between Aerocity and Mahipalpur, one working at Aerocity toward the launching shaft, and two operating between Vasant Kunj and Mahipalpur.
The remaining five active TBMs are deployed on the Magenta Line. This includes machines operating between Ramkrishna Ashram Marg and Nabi Karim, as well as between Sadar Bazar and Pulbangash.
The DMRC has already completed 23 tunnel breakthroughs across diverse terrains in Delhi during Phase IV. Officials noted that achieving these breakthroughs under highly populated areas represents a major engineering milestone for the project.
Currently, approximately 84 percent of the civil work has been completed on the Phase-IV priority corridors. These priority sections include the Aerocity-Tughlakabad section on the Golden Line, as well as the Krishna Park Extension to Deepali Chowk and Majlis Park to Ramakrishna Ashram Marg sections on the Magenta Line.
Tunnelling operations are also underway for the Inderlok-Indraprastha corridor, which serves as an extension of the Magenta Line.
To expedite the work, DMRC previously ran six TBMs simultaneously along a five-to-six-kilometer stretch on the Golden Line between the Air Force Launching Shaft and the Sarita Vihar depot. While five TBMs are currently running between Vasant Kunj and Aerocity, another machine is positioned on-site at Kishangarh, ready to be launched.
