FECON OPERATES TBM ROBOT TO CONSTRUCT TUNNEL AT S9 STATION, METRO LINE 3 PROJECT – HANOI

According to the plan, TBM 1 (named Than Toc) will drill from S9 - Kim Ma station at a depth of 17.8m. When TBM1 drills about 200 m, TBM 2 (named Tao Bao) will begin drilling the second tunnel. After completing the first 240m, the TBMs will accelerate to a standard speed of about 10 m/day to reach the next stations.

Each machine measures over 100 meters in length and weighs some 850 metric tons, begins digging a 4 km underground section from Daewoo Hotel to Hanoi Station with an expected time of 16 months.

The total number of personnel for construction work is more than 150 people. Among the main tasks such as operating the TBM, operating the robot arm to install the tunnel cover, and replacing the cutting head... Upon completion, the TBMs will be dismantled at S12 - Tran Hung Dao station (opposite Hanoi station), and the auxiliary equipment system will be pulled back and dismantled at S9 - Kim Ma station.

According to FECON - Vice CEO Nguyen Quoc Bao, the tunnel construction technology using TBMs on Metro Line 3 is among the most advanced technologies in the world. The pair of TBMs are designed specifically for the urban railway line No. 3 project, section Nhon - Hanoi station.

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Bao – Vice CEO of FECON Corporation represented and spoke at the TBM launching ceremony.

Mr. Bao said: “Hanoi's geology has many mixed soil types, and the tunnel route mainly goes in the clay soil geological layer, which is more complex than the silty clay of the Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien Metro Line 1 project in Ho Chi Minh City. The Nhon - Hanoi Station Metro Line 3 project also constructed an underground section with a length much larger than the Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien line. So, with the use of pressure balancing machines, it is very suitable for geological conditions in Hanoi”.

“In addition to the experience accumulated and learned from the Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien Metro Line 1 project, we have construction and technical support from the expert team of Tunnel Pro, a leading TBM construction company from Italy, and a team of experts from the International Tunneling and Underground Space Association (ITA-AITES) Mr. Nguyen Quoc Bao added.

The official operation of the TBM is an important piece that contributes to affirming FECON's capacity in urban transport infrastructure projects, and large-scale projects requiring high qualifications in general. At the same time, this is an opportunity for FECON to compete and demonstrate its capabilities in large-scale projects, contributing to the realization of the dream of a modern high-speed railway to solve traffic problems in the capital.