Contractor China Railway Construction (B12) has ordered two EPBMs from NFM Technologies for delivery in the third quarter to be used on excavation of twin tubes on Phase 2 of Line 10 of Beijing metro.
NFM said the scheduled delivery of the two 6.28m diameter shields is July and August, respectively. The contract was signed last month but the value was not disclosed.
The TBMs will be used to bore a total of slightly more than 8,000m on Line 10 between Caoqiao and Mengjiacun stations with Fanjiacun as an intermediate station and future interchange with Line 16.
Between Caoqiao and Fanjiacun one of the shields will drive a 3,225m long tube before being used to bore the parallel tunnel.
The second TBM is to drive the twin tunnels between Fanjiacun and Mengjiancun, each of which is 808m long.
The tunnels will be bored at depths of 9m-17m below dense urban and historic areas of the capital. Geology along the alignment comprises mainly conglomerates.
Phase 1 of Line 10 was constructed between late 2003 and mid-2008, is almost 25km long, has 22 stations, is totally underground and was completed just before the Olympics hosted by the capital. Planning started in the late 1990s.
Main works on Phase 2 works commenced recently and will extend the line initially in the north west of Beijing. In adding a further 32km eventually, Line 10 will become the city’s second loop line. It is to be completed by 2012-13.
