Tunnel boring machine Rudra achieves breakthrough

TBM Rudra completed its 718-m journey in 100 days, marking the seventh success of BMRCL's nine TBMs on the Pink Line's underground corridor. Last year, the machine faced unusual hurdles due to a huge garbage pile, but officials overcame the issue and the section is now part of the Kalena Agrahara-Nagawara line under Namma Metro's Phase II.

Bengaluru metro’s tunnel boring machine (TBM) Rudra completed its 718-metre journey in 100 days by achieving a breakthrough at 10.45 a.m. on Thursday from Lakkasandra metro station.

This achievement marks the seventh out of nine TBMs of Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL), working on the Pink Line’s underground corridor. On July 14, TBM Rudra started its third and final tunnelling phase from Lakkasandra station. In its earlier stages, Rudra successfully tunnelled 613.2 m between the south ramp and Dairy Circle station and 746.2 m between Dairy Circle and Lakkasandra stations, according to the BMRCL.

Last year, in September, the machine faced unusual hurdles. The cutter head of the machine could not move after encountering a huge garbage pile. Later, officials found out that in the 1980s, the area where the TBM was stuck used to be a quarry land turned into a landfill. This happened between Dairy Circle Station and Lakkasandra.

The section is part of the Pink Line between Kalena Agrahara and Nagawara being constructed under phase II of the Namma Metro project.