In two years, MMRC has completed 70% of the tunnelling for the Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ Metro-3 route.

70% of tunnelling for the Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ Metro-3 corridor was achieved by the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC). Approximately, 23 breakthroughs were completed in two years, totalling 38.25 km out of 55 km.

The first and only fully underground corridor to overhaul the deteriorating urban transport and chock-a-block traffic in the city is Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ Metro-3. On the basis of an upline and a downline tunnel across the underground corridor of 33.5 km, the total length of the 55 km tunnelling was calculated except the box-station length.

Ashwini Bhide, MMRC’s Managing director, said, “To build this tremendous technological marvel under the crowded city a group of nearly 16,000 people has been tirelessly working day and night. This corridor is expected to redefine Mumbaikar’s travel experience and to give it a better quality of life because the metro lines can carry 17 lakh passengers that will reduce 6.5 lakh daily vehicle trips, thereby minimizing pollutant gases of 2.61 lakh MT per year”. With 70% tunnelling success, she said that they are one step closer to project completion.

“The best progress was made on the overall tunnelling across the Metro Line-3 in Package 7 (Marol Naka to Aarey), i.e. 97% (7.079 km- 5100 rings) and is expected to be completed by 12 December. Tunnelling is also developing rapidly in other packages.  “In total, 27,030 segment rings have been used to complete the 38.25 km of tunnelling, and We are now at 23 breakthroughs and 9 more will be achieved in the next 12 months,” said S.K. Gupta, Director, MMRC’s Projects.