After 25 days of operation, the tunnel boring machine (TBM) for the Nhổn – Hà Nội Station metro project has advanced nearly 100 meters. According to engineers, the geological conditions are presenting certain challenges.
As of August 25, the tunnel boring machine (TBM) for the Nhổn – Hà Nội metro project has excavated nearly 100 meters. Although the excavation speed was initially slow, it has now stabilized at 10-12 meters per day.
The tunnel boring machine has advanced nearly 100 meters (yellow line), heading straight towards the S10 underground station (Cát Linh). The machine is ensured to be on the right track using a survey system set along the route, combined with sensors at the drill head.
Currently, there are engineers on-site from Vietnam, Italy, India, Ecuador, Colombia, and China. The total number of engineers and workers exceeds 150.
At the drill head, excavated soil is transported outside via a conveyor belt. The geological layer in this area mainly consists of clay. The drilling machine continuously sprays water to soften the soil for removal.
Waste containers are lifted to the surface by cranes and emptied into a storage tank located beside the underground station.
In the opposite direction, cranes lower concrete tunnel lining panels into the underground station. These lining panels are then brought inside via rails.
After every 1.5 meters of excavation, the drill pauses to install the tunnel lining. The lining panels are positioned using a robotic arm.
Six concrete tunnel lining panels will fit together to create a circle. Among them, the smallest panel acts as a “lock”.
Workers check the ventilation system inside the tunnel.
It is anticipated that after the first TBM excavates 240 meters, the second TBM named “Daring” will commence operations. Both machines will operate in parallel and will take approximately 16 months to complete the entire 4 kilometers of tunnel from station S9 (Kim Mã) to station S12 (Hà Nội Station).
