The Kanpur Metro Rail Project's Corridor-1, between IIT and Naubasta, is seeing rapid progress in tunnel construction on the 2.40 km underground stretch from Swadeshi Cotton Mill to Kanpur Central. A significant milestone has been reached with the ?Azad? Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) completing 90 metres of tunnel on the up-line, marking the end of its initial drive. Meanwhile, the ?Vidyarthi? TBM has been successfully lowered into the launching shaft near Swadeshi Cotton Mill for the downline tunnel and is set to be launched towards Kanpur Central in the coming days. Once operational, both tunnels on this final 2.40 km stretch of Corridor-1 will be constructed simultaneously.

The Kanpur Metro has already completed approximately 5.50 km of underground tunnelling from the ramp area at McRobertganj to Kanpur Central. The current focus of the project is on constructing the final 2.40 km underground stretch from Swadeshi Cotton Mill to Kanpur Central Station. The ?Azad? TBM was launched in July specifically for the up-line tunnel construction of this segment.

This TBM has now completed its initial drive by constructing a tunnel approximately 90 metres in length. The tunnelling process with a TBM involves two key phases: the initial drive and the main drive. During the initial drive, the Backup System Unit, which contains all the machine?s auxiliary systems, operates from above ground. After this phase is completed, the Backup System Unit is lowered underground and connected to the TBM?s shield, which is currently happening for the ?Azad? TBM. Once this connection is made, the main drive will begin, significantly speeding up the tunnelling process. Additionally, a loco pilot will be employed to assist with tunnel excavation during this phase.