In India, it's raining tunnel boring machines! One of my friends recently asked me how many TBMs are working in India and what the population is? I had a hazy idea, but that was it. The question piqued my interest, so I began researching the use of tunnel boring machines (TBMs) sector-wise.
As my research progressed, I quickly realized that India is a magnet for the tunnelling industry, with a large potential market. The chart depicts the Indian tour of TBMs across India in all segments of work, primarily but not exclusively metro works.
The first Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) began its journey in India in the 1980s from Mumbai, gradually picking up speed and being applied to hydro tunnels such as Dulhasti and Parbati, Kishangnaga, where it had great success!
TBMs have played an important role in tunnel construction in India since the implementation of the Delhi metro Phase-1, and while metros are still the most common application, road projects such as the Coastal Road, GMLR, Thane-Borvili, and Shiv Murti have begun to show confidence, and their use is becoming more diverse.
Indian Railways is also experimenting with TBMs in projects such as Rishikesh-Karnprayag and the Mumbai-Ahmedabad section of the Bullet Train. By the end of 2023, it is estimated that there will be around 100 TBMs working simultaneously in India. This growth in the use of TBMs in India is indicative of the country's potential market for the tunnelling industry.
The financial capital of India; Mumbai, going to be the new hub of large diameter Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs).
With the plan to deploy twelve TBMs larger than 12m+ Dia, Mumbai has yet again proven to be one step ahead of the competition by implementing advanced technologies before any other city in India.
Mumbai boasts the first fully underground Metro project Line-3 and the first large diameter TBMs in the coastal road project that aims to construct a road tunnel. For the 15km long tunnel, the High-speed Tunnel project will deploy three TBMs, with two TBMs docked in the middle of Thane Creek, a first-of-its-kind in India.
The GMLR & Thane-Borivali Tunnels will pass beneath the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. These revolutionary projects will bring Mumbaikars one step closer to hassle-free commutes and set a benchmark for the rest of India Road Tunnel projects by TBM.
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