HYDERABAD: South Central Railway (SCR) has undertaken major work for addressing the problem of water logging in the Secunderabad station yard. For the first time in SCR, the micro-tunnelling method has been used through Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) for pushing the pipes in the yard and crossing railway lines.
To permanently address the issue of water logging in the station yard and the resultant disruption in train movements, the divisional team deployed TBMs to create micro-tunnelling and 1.8 dia RCC pipes were pushed for a barrel length of 75 metres towards the Vikarabad end of the station yard.
The activity involved pipes pushing 14 crossing lines and several points and crossings. A drive pit was made wherein a Tunnel Boring Machine was launched from one end by pumping water in the form of high-intensity jets all along the circumference of the TBMs.
Simultaneously, earth in the form of the wet slurry was pumped out as the TBM proceeded ahead. Utmost care was taken during the pushing to ensure the smooth operation of the work, avoiding any slippages.