Mumbai Metro-3 update: Flash Butt Welding Machine arrives from USA begins welding of rails

An important equipment, Flash Butt Welding Machine (FBW Machine), which will weld Head Hardened (HH) rails for the 33.5-km long Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ Metro-3 corridor, has arrived in Mumbai and begun its work at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport Station (CSMIA-T2) on Friday.

• FBW Machine will weld the rails by aligning, preheating, flashing, forging, stripping and air-quenching at a flash voltage of 340V and Boost Voltage of 420V. 
• This is first of the two such plants to be deployed. 
• “This is an automatic welding  machine with pre-set parameters to function exactly as per the set values to produce quality welds. 
• Welding of rails is planned from eleven different locations to cover entire 33.5km project”, informed Mr. Ranjit Singh Deol, MD, MMRC. 
• The FBW Machine is manufactured by M/s. Holland LP, USA. 
• The second FBW Machine is expected by the end of next month.
• In all 8,366 ton of HH rails, out of 10,740 ton, have already been received by the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC). 
• Remaining rails are already shipped from Japan. 

“These 18-meter long HH rails, manufactured by M/s. Mitsui, Japan, will be welded into long panels using the FBW Machine and laid as continuously welded rails. For safety and passenger comfort”, said Mr. Subodh Gupta, Director (Projects), MMRC.

Recent Progress:

• Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) is only nine more breakthroughs away from achieving 100% tunnelling. 
• The remaining nine breakthroughs will be achieved in package Nos.1, 3, 4 and 6 
• MMRC has achieved 32 breakthroughs in Package Nos.2 ,5 and 7 – a length of about 48-km out of the total length of 54.5-km. 
• On 5th October, 2020, MMRC has achieved 32nd breakthrough of 1.10-km long tunnel from Siddhivinayak north shaft to Dadar Metro Station in the presence of Mr. Ashutosh Kumbhakoni, Advocate General of Maharashtra.
• The Herrenknecht made Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) Krishna-2, equipped with Earth Pressure Balance technology, was lowered on December 16, 2019.
• The TBM has completed the upline stretch in 295 days using 791 rings.
• The overall progress of Dadar Metro Station is 61%.
• Package-4, which consists of Dadar, Siddhivinayak and Sitladevi Metro Stations, showcases overall 94% tunneling progress and 95% of the excavation work.
• The total tunneling of the project completed is 87% and civil work is 60% as on 5th Oct, 2020.

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Source: MMRC-Press Release | Image Credit: MMRC