The Mumbai Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) has officially announced a significant milestone achieved for the Metro 3 project at the Mumbai Central Station. Officially, the project has completed the tunneling works of the Colaba-Bandra-Seepz underground route. As a result, the project’s overall progress currently stands at 76%.
Impressively, the Metro 3 project deployed 17 Tunnel Boring Machines (TBM) for 55 kilometers of tunnels 5.8 meters, finished diameter. By December 2023, the first section of the Mumbai Metro Line-3 between Bandra-Kuria Complex (BKC) and Aarey Colony will be operational.
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The Metro 3 project embraces advanced technology in its development
An official statement revealed that the section from Mahalaxmi Metro Station to Mumbai Central Station was the most challenging aspect of the tunneling works. The 837 meters stretch covers the Science Museum, the Worli Metro Station, as well as Mumbai Central. Additionally, the stretch also includes the Acharya Atra Chowk and Mahalaxmi.
The Managing Director of MMRC, Ashwini Bhide, gave more insight into the project. The tunneling below Mumbai’s heritage precincts, he noted, in close proximity to existing railway lines and old dilapidated buildings was a daunting task. Furthermore, working around a water body with difficult geological conditions made the tunneling works more complex. Hence, the completion of the tunneling works goes beyond being a breakthrough and indeed, an invaluable milestone for the project.
The Director of Projects at MMRC also spoke about the project. S K Gupta confirmed that the Metro 3 Project made use of advanced technology, without comprising the safety of the dedicated workers. The Director noted that the 33.5-kilometer-long Colaba-Bandra-Seepz stretch is the very first underground corridor of the metro network that is coming up within the city. In total, there will be 27 stations on the line, of which 26 are set to be underground.
