After two months of transportation and installation, the last component of a tunnel boring machine (TBM) will be placed at the S9 underground station of Metro Line No 3, Nhon - Hanoi Train Station, on December 30.

Part of the first tunnel boring machine for the building of Metro
Line No 3, Nhon - Hanoi Train Station (Photo courtesy of MRB)

This TBM, the first of its kind to be used in Hanoi, was designed specifically for the construction of the Nhon - Hanoi Train Station metro line. Made by German manufacturer Herrenknecht, it is over 100m long and weighs about 850 tonnes.

It is able to bore about 10m of tunnel each day in ideal conditions, according to the Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Management Board (MRD).

Another TBM is being transported to Vietnam.

After installation is finished, the machines will begin boring from the S9 station on Kim Ma street to the S12 station at the Hanoi Train Station, located at the end of Tran Hung Dao street, with the total length of 4km.

Tunnel segments will be installed upon the boring progress.

MRB deputy head Le Trung Hieu affirmed that local houses will not be affected during the boring process as the TBMs include earth pressure balance shields that minimises impact on geological features.

The MRB is working to make sure the progress is on schedule as requested by the Prime Minister so that the remaining 4.5km-long underground section will become operational in late 2022, he added.

It reported that 67.77% of the pilot metro line has been completed, with 81.97% of the elevated section done.

In October, the first train, designed and produced in France, of this metro line arrived at the Nhon depot. Its four carriages have been installed and being examined to prepare for trial operation.

Metro Line No 3 is scheduled to have its 8.5km-long elevated section, from Nhon to the S8 station at the University of Transport and Communications, put into commercial operation in late 2021. The remaining 4km-long underground section will run in late 2022.

The project is invested with EUR1.176 million (over US$1.4 million) in total, including official development assistance loans from the French Government, the French Development Agency (AFD), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the European Investment Bank (EIB).