Tunnel boring machines complete work on Doha Metro's Green Line

Two Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs), deployed by Qatar Rail (QR), successfully completed their tunnelling on Doha Metro’s Green Line on schedule, marking a milestone in the project's progress. Al Rayyan and Al Gharrafa TBMs went through four breakthroughs before reaching the final destination at Msheireb. The high-tech TBMs were two of the 21 used in the first phase of the Doha Metro project which saw Qatar recognised by the Guinness World Records for having the largest number of tunnel boring machines operating simultaneously in a single project.Qatar Rail project director Jassim al-Ansari expressed delight that Al Rayyan and Al Gharrafa TBMs have completed their section of tunnelling on schedule and they can now be successfully decommissioned. "To date, roughly 30km out of 33km has been tunnelled on the Green Line, a remarkable feat considering we began the Herculean task less than 18 months ago.”The Doha Metro’s Green Line, which will take passengers from Al Riffa to Al Mansoura had six TBMs working on tunnels over 33km in length. A view of the TBM decommissioning process.Al Rayyan and Al Gharrafa TBMs will now be dismantled and taken to the supplier, Germany’s Herrenknechttarget="_blank"'>With the completion of the first phase of the Doha Metro and Lusail Tram, Qatar Rail expects to ferry 600,000 passengers per day by 2021. By then, 37 metro stations are expected to be complete, with an average journey time of two minutes between adjacent stations.