Steady progress is being made on the Mitinsko-Stroginskaya metro line in Moscow with advances averaging approximately 12m per day using a Lovat soft ground EPBM despite ground conditions being different to those expected.
Russian contractor SMU ENGEOCOM had advanced the excavation to 738m (615 rings) by 19 August with the 6.4m diameter, refurbished Lovat RME254SE Series 16600 machine.
Excavation started mid-May and in the early weeks the TBM was progressing at an average rate of 16 minutes per push with a 35 minute erection time for the 6+1, 300mm thick segmental lining. Lovat also supplied a ground conditioning system to improve EPB control and reduce wear.
However, geology along the route was anticipated by the customer to be clay but turned out to have saturated soils with many boulders.
Over the job so far the average rate of progress per day during excavation of the 5.7m i.d. metro line, with two shifts, is 10 rings. The average rate per month is 246 rings, each 1200mm long.
Away from Moscow but on the same continent, Lovat has established more of a foothold for its activities in Europe, primarily, with the commencement of operations at a refurbishment facility in Lisbon, Portugal.
The company said the base, near the airport, will also supply parts and provide technical support to the tunnelling market on the continent.
Operated by Lovat Iberica, the facility has been refurbishing a TBM (RME 147SE Series 22001) for contractor Theiss, which is building the City West cable tunnel in Sydney.
The machine came from a job recently completed in Algeria.
Russian firm SMU Engeocom is using a Lovat EPBM on the Moscow metro
