February Tunnel Progress (2)

C917A

C917A
S602 has concluded soil improvement works however still stuck outside the Cascadia at over 200 rings. The soil is terribly soft and unstable in this sector hence the repetitive chemical grouting over the course of the last 2 months. Tunnelling works shall resume in about 10 days.

S603 at 687 rings (Feb 26, ~69% completed)
TBM has slowed down to around 2-3 rings a day due to granite. The granite formation shall persist for another 50m till it reaches the Bukit Timah First Diversion Canal. An April breakthrough still stands.

C918A

C918A
S604 at 629 rings (Feb 26, ~96% completed)
TBM made immense progress in the middle of March. There was a day it cast a whopping 8 rings during the day shift. Currently underpassing the existing CCL tunnels, breakthrough is scheduled within the first week of March.

S605 at 375 rings (Feb 2, ~56% completed) 
Tunnelling has slowed down in this sector as well. An April breakthrough seems likely.

C921
Photos of 608's final breakthrough at Queen St shaft. Lifting of machine to the surface is scheduled after a week.

Breakthrough of EP bound tunnel

Hoisting the receiving cradle into position

Receiving

Photo Credits - สัญญา เจ้าลืม

Macpherson

Progress at the site prior to New Year

Scope of tunnel works at 931 involve the BP bound to be driven from MPS. Upon completion, the TBM (S737) will turn around at MTR and bore back the EP bound tunnel to MPS. Hyundai uses a special construction method for their tunnelling works at MPS. A conveyor system is used to carry out muck in replacement of the conventional gantry crane. A similar system is expected to be adopted when 737 does a return drive from Mattar.

Station box

Conveyor System

BP tunnel to MTR

Photo Credits - C931 Hyundai E&C

DTL2 Civil Team 1 Update

As in the preceding post, we explained about the division of Downtown Line Stage 2 (DTL2) into two civil construction teams and featured the progress of Civil Team 2. In this update, we continue with the progress updates for Civil Team 1.

Cashew

Works are beginning on the permanent structure of the exit with the concrete formwork being placed ahead of concrete pouring. The escalators have been installed some time back and are covered with tarp and a metal roofing. The lift shaft is taking shape visibly as it currently stands alone to the side of the future exit.

DTL2 Civil Team 2 Update

Downtown Line Stage 2 (DTL2) is split into two civil construction teams - teams that supervise the construction and completion of the line. Civil Construction Team 1 handles contracts 911 to 917, comprising Gali Batu Depot and Bukit Panjang, Cashew, Hillview, DT4, Beauty World, King Albert Park and Sixth Avenue stations. Civil Construction Team 2 handles the remaining civil construction contracts 918 to 921, comprising of Tan Kah Kee, Botanic Gardens, Stevens, Newton, Little India and Rochor stations. In this update, we track the progress of stations under Civil Team 2.

Tan Kah Kee
Station still in casting, currently doing the concourse level. The roof slab will be next and backfilling will only commence after Q3. Cut and cover tunnel is being backfilled (towards the north side). Launch Shaft to SAV is also being backfilled.

Botanic Gardens 
Backfilling has commenced since the start of the month. A Kobelco crawler has been taken off the site while 2 long-arm excavators facilitate the backfilling. Rebars are seen casted around the south side.

Stevens
The second and final gantry crane has been dismantled over the weekend. The station should commence backfilling after they have completed casting the platform level.

Newton
Scaffolding of the ventilation shaft have appeared since the start of the month. The shaft has since been concreted and is located behind the existing vent shafts for the NSL. The station is almost completely backfilled with rebars caged along where the future realigned road will run. We expect the gantry crane to be taken down only mid 2014, and the final road diversion taking place in Q4.

Little India & C&C
Works on the canal are still progressing, west exit is taking more shape. The cripple siding tunnel is undergoing extensive backfilling at this moment.

S608 Docks Once More

We have just received SMS that S608 has docked at the Queen St shaft after successfully completing the final Expo bound drive. This concludes about 9 months of tunnel works for C921. 4 Herrenknecht TBMs remain beneath the ground between KAP-SAV and TKK-BTN. The next breakthrough of S604 is anticipated to take place at BTN by the end of next month.

More photos to come soon.

Little India February

Little India station is one of those with the quickest pace of construction on Stage 2 along with Cashew station. The new exit near the North East Line (NEL) station is currently being integrated with the existing exit to provide a single combined entry-point for easy use by commuters. The roofs are being linked and other alterations being made so that the two entry-points will provide a one-stop solution for commuters heading to either the NEL or Downtown Line.

02 February 2014

Gali Batu depot tests

In the run up to TOP for Gali Batu Depot, expected around September, a train set was delivered in mid-January to the site. With the aid of locomotives delivered last year, the train is being used to navigate the operational areas that will be used subsequently once full scale operations commence come 2015 when testing of the stage 2 portion begins.

09 November 2013

09 November 2013

Beauty World road realignment

As mentioned previously, Upper Bukit Timah Road was due to be realigned on January 26th at the Beauty World station site. This has since been accomplished and works are currently underway for the Alstom temporary staging area (TSA) to proceed with trackworks. An access shaft now stands where the launch shaft for the lowering of TBMs and materials for tunnel construction towards King Albert Park station was located prior to the diversion of Upper Bukit Timah Road in 2013.

02 February 2014

February Tunnel Progress (1)

C917A (Yellow sector completed by Alpine)

C917A
S602 still undergoing grouting outside the Cascadia, at over 200 rings. This will certainly be the last BP bound tunnel to complete within Stage 2, with an expected breakthrough only after June.
S603 at 605 rings (Feb 5, ~61% completed) TBM is quickly inching towards SAV. Expected breakthrough April.

C918A

C918A
S604 at 501 rings (Feb 3, ~76% completed) Expected breakthrough end March
S605 at 344 rings (Feb 2, ~51% completed) Ether BTN or SAV would see the final EP bound breakthrough as both machines seem likely to complete tunelling within a similar time span with under 400 rings more to cast. Expected breakthrough April

C921
S608 is about 2 rings away from breakthrough and is scheduled to complete its Expo bound drive by this week. Detailed update to come.

C937
TBM2 is now at 295 Rings. As mentioned in the previous post, the main body of the machine is currently underpassing the CTE portal at Upp Cross St. Advancing around 3 rings each day its most likely to reach its reception at Chinatown early March.

TBM undercrossing the CTE portals

Fort Canning update January

Contract 937 is for the construction of Fort Canning station along with two sets of main line tunnels - one towards Bencoolen station and another towards Chinatown station. The tunnels towards Chinatown station are being dug by a single TBM, known as TBM2, which will make two runs from the West Launch Shaft to the reception shaft at the end of Upper Cross Street, near the Chinatown station. Due to a tight fit amongst the tall buildings, the tunnels will have to stack one over the other in order to gain access to the reception shaft with the Bukit Panjang bound taking the lower level. An escape shaft will be built at Havelock Road to provide for emergency egress from both tunnels. 

Currently, TBM2 is undergoing a final cutterhead intervention where the blades at the front of the TBM are replaced and general servicing of the cutting equipment is performed. This is done under compressed air to stabilise the soil so that it does not collapse into the area where the workers are working from.

28 January 2014
Photo credit - Mohd Iskandar Jack