Delhi Metro Phase 4: Tunnel Breakthrough At Vasant Kunj Marks Key Progress on Tughlakabad-Aerocity Corridor

In a significant milestone for the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) has successfully completed a 1,550 metre long underground tunnel between Kishangarh and Vasant Kunj on the Tughlakabad-Aerocity corridor of Phase 4.

Sharing it on X, DMRC announced that the breakthrough occurred at Vasant Kunj Metro Station in the presence of Manohar Lal, Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs and Power, and Tokhan Sahu, Minister of State, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

The 91 metre long TBM completed tunnelling at an average depth of 23 metres (ranging from 15.7 metres to 30.2 metres). The tunnel consists of 1,107 rings with an inner diameter of 5.8 metres.

It has been constructed using Earth Pressure Balancing Method (EPBM) with a concrete lining made of precast tunnel rings, manufactured at a mechanised casting yard in Mundka.

The tunnelling drive, which commenced on 30 October 2023, faced steep gradients and varied geological conditions, including mica and hard rock.

Despite these challenges, advanced monitoring systems ensured that the work was completed without structural settlement or disruptions.

A parallel tunnel for the up and down movement of trains is also under construction, with a breakthrough expected in June 2025.

The Tughlakabad-Aerocity corridor features 19.343 km of underground tunnelling as part of the 40.109 km of underground metro lines sanctioned in Phase 4.

TBMs have revolutionised urban tunnelling, allowing underground metro expansion without disturbing surface structures.

DMRC has relied on TBMs since Phase 1, deploying nearly 30 machines in Phase 3 alone.

This achievement comes right after a week when DMRC also successfully completed an underground tunnel between Chhatarpur Mandir and IGNOU Station with the help of the same technology.

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