The boring part of the TBM, decorated with Vietnamese flag is loaded underground in the construction at Kim Ma section in the city. The TBM will boost the construction of the urban railway in Ha Noi. — Photo courtesy of FECON

FECON Corporation has started trial operation of the first tunnel boring machine (TBM) to serve Ha Noi's Urban Railway project No3.

A representative of the corporation said the second TBM has been assembled at about 60 per cent of capacity to enhance the work.

The machine will start boring from S9 or Kim Ma station to S12 or Ha Noi station at the end of Tran Hung Dao Street with a total length of 4km.

FECON's Deputy General Director Le Quang Hanh said: “The assembly of the TBM tunnelling robot is new in Viet Nam. It requires a deep understanding of the structure and operating principles of complex equipment.”

“As our staff used to participate in the similar work for the HCM City Metro Project 1, they were not overwhelmed with this state-of-the-art construction equipment and we have the best plan to ensure the quality and progress set out," he added.

FECON is the unit involved in the assembly and operation of the TBM machine duo, which is designed specifically for the urban railway project No 3 connecting Nhon and the Ha Noi Station. Manufactured by Herrenkecht, Germany, the machine is more than 100m long and weighs about 850 tonnes.— VNS