The elevated section of Nhổn-Hà Nội Railway Station has nearly been completed. — VNA/VNS Photo |
HÀ NỘI — Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) technology would be used to dig an underground section of the Nhổn-Hà Nội Railway Station metro line project, according to Hà Nội’s Urban Railway Management Board.
The technology has already been used on metro line 1B in HCM City.
The TBM was expected to arrive in Hà Nội in July and be put into operation by the end of this year, said Lê Trung Hiếu, deputy head of the management board.
The drill bits are mounted around a circular steel frame with a diametre of 7-17.5m. They can dig down to depths of 21-22m.
The contractor had completed underground bomb and mine clearance and was working to prepare for the dig, according to the management board.
The contractor is installing concrete slabs onto the tunnel wall. At S9 Station, six out of 63 slabs have been installed. The work is expected to be finished in March.
At S10 (Cát Linh) Station, 26 out of 28 have been installed.
According to the management board, installing slabs which are 6-7.5m wide is a complicated step and requires giant machines and engineers.
The Nhổn-Hà Nội Railway Station metro project covers 12km through Nam Từ Liêm, Bắc Từ Liêm, Cầu Giấy, Ba Đình, Đống Đa and Hoàn Kiếm districts. It has 12 stations including eight on the elevated line and four underground.
The project started in September 2010 and was scheduled to finish in September 2017. However, cost overruns have delayed the project. The current investment has nearly doubled to VNĐ36 trillion (US$1.5 billion).
City authorities have asked contractors to complete the whole line by 2022. The elevated section is expected to open by 2020. — VNS