ThisTBM, the first of its kind to be used in Hanoi, was designed specifically forthe construction of the Nhon - Hanoi Train Station metro line. Made by Germanmanufacturer Herrenknecht, it is over 100m long and weighs about 850 tonnes.
Itis able to bore about 10m of tunnel each day in ideal conditions, according tothe Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Management Board (MRD).
AnotherTBM is being transported to Vietnam.
Afterinstallation is finished, the machines will begin boring from the S9 station onKim Ma street to the S12 station at the Hanoi Train Station, located at the endof Tran Hung Dao street, with the total length of 4km.
Tunnelsegments will be installed upon the boring progress.
MRBdeputy head Le Trung Hieu affirmed that local houses will not be affectedduring the boring process as the TBMs include earth pressure balance shieldsthat minimises impact on geological features.
TheMRB is working to make sure the progress is on schedule as requested by thePrime Minister so that the remaining 4.5km-long underground section will becomeoperational in late 2022, he added.
Itreported that 67.77 percent of the pilot metro line has been completed, with81.97 percent of the elevated section done.
InOctober, the first train, designed and produced in France, of this metro linearrived at the Nhon depot. Its four carriages have been installed and beingexamined to prepare for trial operation.
MetroLine No 3 is scheduled to have its 8.5km-long elevated section, from Nhon tothe S8 station at the University of Transport and Communications, put intocommercial operation in late 2021. The remaining 4km-long underground sectionwill run in late 2022.
Theproject is invested with 1.176 million EUR (over 1.4 million USD) in total,including official development assistance loans from the French Government, theFrench Development Agency (AFD), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and theEuropean Investment Bank (EIB)./.
VNA