Acciona which will construct Line 1 of the Metro de Quito (Ecuador), is preparing one of the three tunnel boring machines (TBMs) at its heavy plant depot in Noblejas (Toledo) that will construct the capital’s first metro line. The other two tunnel boring machines will be prepared and checked in Germany.
The machine itself is 9.3 metres high (equivalent to a three-storey building). It weighs approximately 1,660 tons and is capable of boring through the earth at an average speed of between 15 and 18 metres per day.The tunnel boring machine (TBM) will excavate a 4 km section, advancing non-stop 24 hours a day.
Acciona is carrying out tests on the TBM to check that it is suitable for the geological conditions at the site and for the altitude and atmospheric pressure in Quito, among other variables. Once the tests have been completed, the tunnel boring machine will be dismantled and then shipped and reassembled on site at the entrance to the future tunnel of the Metro de Quito at the end of 2016, before beginning work in 2017.
A total of three tunnelling machines will construct the 22 km and 15 stations of Line 1 of the Metro de Quito.Two machines will be checked and tested in Germany before being sent to Quito, in addition to the TBM that is being prepared in Noblejas.
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