Indore Metro begins work on underground section

Indore Metro’s underground construction has entered a new phase with the launch of the project’s first Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM), named “Narmada,” at a shaft near Indore Airport.

The Madhya Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MPMRCL) carried out the launch on Thursday, marking the shift from preparatory groundwork to actual tunnelling on the underground section. The TBM will now excavate the underground stretch between Airport and Bada Ganpati.

The machine weighs around 410 metric tonnes. Because of its size, engineers first assembled it at ground level before lowering it into the launch shaft using a combination of a Megalift System and Strand Jack Assembly — specialised lifting equipment capable of handling loads exceeding 1,000 metric tonnes.

This allowed the TBM to be positioned with precision despite its weight.

MPMRCL Managing Director S. Krishna Chaitanya inspected the launch process on site and congratulated the engineering team for completing what officials described as a technically demanding operation.

TBMs are widely used for underground metro construction in dense urban areas because they excavate and support tunnels with minimal disruption to surface traffic and buildings — a key consideration given the shaft’s location near Indore’s airport and busy Bada Ganpati area.

The Indore Metro’s underground corridor, part of the broader Yellow Line project, will eventually span several kilometres between the Airport and central Indore, connecting with the elevated sections already under construction elsewhere in the city.