In-house Journal of L&T Construction Volume - 39, Issue - 2 April - June 2016 Transforming cities into METROS From the EDITOR’S DESK CONTENTS In the age of specialization, this issue of ECC Concord reveals our specialization across varied business segments. Doha Metro As the government’s grand vision of creating 100 smart Setting a world record cities begins to realize, it is a matter of pride for all of us in tunneling 4 at L&T Construction that we are partners in creating India’s first smart city – Jaipur. Working closely with the forward- looking Jaipur Development Authority, our colleagues from Smart World Communications have transformed the Pink City into a Smart, Connected City. Wide swathes of the city have been wifi-enabled and several historical monuments, India’s Pink City is also hospitals and gardens are equipped with interactive, India’s first smart city information kiosks while surveillance cameras have paved 12 the way for more efficient governance. But more than Jaipur becoming a smart city what should cheers us is that we are helping to make the citizens of Jaipur smarter! In the same city, we proved our engineering expertise by constructing the state-of-the-art Centre of Innovation and Hero Moto Corp Ltd, Jaipur Technology for Hero Motors. We achieved the distinction A giant stride in technology of being perhaps the only company in the country and 22 amongst the very few globally to construct a high speed parabolic test track using in-house equipment. As cities struggle with the unbridled population growth of both people and vehicles, metro rail systems are increasingly being adopted by city after Indian city to ease traffic woes. Delhi Metro It is not without reason that some of the toughest and most challenging stretches of the Delhi Metro have been awarded Zip, zap and zoom on the Metro 30 to us – true recognition of our preeminent status as the foremost builder of metro systems in the country. Perhaps, we are helping the people of Delhi to be more mobile! Editor Overseas, too, we are expressing our expertise in building Vinod Jacob Chacko metros as we, along with a host of other global construction Transmission Line, Kudgi giants, are burrowing into the depths under the city of Doha Associate Editor to build the Doha Metro system, and setting a world record Integrating the arteries of power Gopi Kannan. S in tunneling along the way. evacuation systems 36 Editorial team Our Water team has set another record by constructing V. Ramesh Kumar Asia’s first and largest Micro Filtration (MF) plant of 158 Ashwin Chand | Mayura. K MLD for river water treatment as a part of the design-built 2X800 MW Yermarus Thermal Power Station near Raichur Plant water system for 2X800 MW Photography and by executing the complex long-span multi-voltage Yermarus thermal power station V. S. Natanavelu | R. Vijay Kumar transmission line to evacuate power from NTPC’s Kudgi Optimizing technology for Thermal Power Plant, our colleagues from PT&D continue 42 Design & layout to create corridors of power! recovering resources Global Print Design, Chennai 2 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 3 Doha Metro Setting a world record in tunneling 4 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 5 ot many pronounce Qatar as network of road infrastructure with Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain which was The master plan ‘Kah-ter’, the way it ought to be over 1230 kilometers of roads linking a significant step. This long distance Nor are aware that this small gulf the capital city of Doha to the major passenger and freight rail will connect Touted to be one of the most advanced country that was virtually nonexistent industrial and oil producing hubs of cities in the north and west of Qatar mass rail transit systems, Doha expects on the global economic map has started the country. The Hamad International with Doha. Their second area of focus to have its Phase – 1 Metro operational making heads turn with its fast paced Airport and four seaports are the is a Light Rail Transit or a tram network by the end of 2019 and Phase - 2 by growth and infrastructural investments. country’s gateways to the world. that aims to provide a comfortable and 2026. Originally, the plan was to have Qatar enjoys a long coastline, thanks to However, what the country sorely convenient travel within the new city of it in place to host the 2016 Summer its peninsular location in the Persian lacked was a rail network. A master Lusail. The third and the most significant Olympics which was subsequently Gulf, which is why fishing and pearl plan was recently drawn up to develop of all is the Doha Metro - a largely shifted to Rio de Janeiro. Doha, however, gathering were its traditional sources a comprehensive railway network in the underground rail network which will won the bid to host the 2022 FIFA World of revenue until petroleum and natural Greater Doha area and across the state. connect communities within Doha and Cup for which the country is gearing up gas reserves were identified and Consequently, Qatar Rail was given the its suburbs. Driven by the Qatar National in full throttle. exploited to give the country’s economy mandate to design, develop and manage Vision 2030, a guiding blueprint that a major fillip. Most of Qatar’s natural the country’s rail network to enable a aims to take the country from its current The Doha Metro will serve both the gas reserves that constitutes over 5% of sustainable and efficient way of moving status quo as a hydrocarbon-dependent capital region and suburbs through the entire world’s reserves are located in both people and freight around the country to a diversified, pluralistic, and a predominantly underground its offshore Northfield, an area almost country. knowledge-based economy by 2030, the network. Built in two phases, the as large as the nation itself. Therefore, rail networks are expected to contribute first will cover the commissioning of not surprisingly, Qatar enjoys one of the The Sultanate therefore went ahead full strongly towards this projected growth. three out of the four planned lines - highest per capita GDP globally. steam in building rail infrastructure. Once commissioned, all these three rail Red, Gold, and Green measuring 75 Investing in the ambitious 1940 km networks will be an integrated system, km including 37 stations while the Over the past few decades, the face of GCC rail network to connect with the allowing passengers to easily transfer futuristic fourth, Blue Line will cover Qatar has transformed by an impressive six member states of Oman, UAE, Saudi between them. 130 km with 72 stations. Concreting in progress The stations will be designed on the areas located about 15 km from the lines of the traditional Bedouin tents, project command area. The scope mimicking a ‘vaulted space’ concept also includes MEP and architectural that reflects the regional heritage works. What marks the package as with abundance of open spaces and a unique is that despite being awarded typical ‘pearl-effect’ in their tones. The almost a year and half after other exterior however, will be dhow-inspired packages, the ALYSJ JV has managed reflecting the Qatari heritage. The largest to complete the tunneling scope on station, Msheireb, considered the heart time by deploying six state-of-the-art of the Doha Metro system, will be a TBMs the world has on offer! confluence of all the lines. A boring business, as ALYSJ - An integrated usual approach Doha Metro has already achieved the The ALYSJ or Aktor, (Greece) - L&T, unique status of being the largest metro (India) - Yapi Merkezi, (Turkey) - projects in the world by deploying STFA, (Turkey) - Al Jaber Engineering, 21 Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) (Qatar), an integrated JV, bagged simultaneously across its lines. In fact the mandate to build a significant Qatar Rail has set a Guinness World section of the Gold line between the Record for operating the highest Ras Bu Abboud Station on the east number of tunnel boring machines (20 and Al Aziziyah station on the west. as per Qatar Rail award certificate) in a The scope includes 11.68 km of twin single city, all at the same time. bored tunnel passing through 10 underground stations with entry and As with any other underground exit structures, a couple of emergency metro, the lines will traverse under exit shafts, a stabling yard, structures the city and significant structures and for switchboxes and two logistics contractors had to deploy technology 6 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 7 that in no way disturbed life above. were lowered into position this way. The Another challenge the team faced The ALYSJ JV deployed six TBMs to process broke all conventions proving to was the process of TBM transfer at achieve its tunneling scope excavating be a safe and time saving method. intermediate stations. Since a value a whopping 1 million cu.m of muck engineering drive reduced the station before lining the path to perfection While the original plan was to complete width by almost a meter, the TBM team with precast tunnel segments. The the tunnel drive and later construct the had to grapple with the situation to 6.17 m diameter tunnel stretch built cross passages, delay in the award of the transfer it in a curved path. The team by the JV consumed 1.34 lakh cu.m project saw the team staring at a schedule used a specially fabricated travelling of concrete in the form of 15,555 rings with some unrealistic milestone trolley arrangement that overcame and 24 cross passages.