Construction of Kalbadevi

Underground Metro Station of Mumbai

Metro Line 3 by dealing with numerous
social and technical challenges in the
congested old city - Financial Capital
of India

Dr. Ashish Rawat Hindustan Construction Company Ltd.

 Project Layout vis-à-vis Kalbadevi Station Layout
 Importance of Kalbadevi Station
 Challenges Prior to Start of Construction of Kalbadevi Station
1. Resistance from local populace for demolition of structures and rehabilitation of the
Project Affected Persons
2. Dilapidated structures in close proximity to the excavation
3. Excavation works amidst narrow streets with traffic congestion
4. Heritage Structure – Place of Worship in close proximity & the Litigation
 Challenges during construction of Kalbadevi Metro Station
1. Resistance from local populace for issues arising out of metro construction works
2. Delay due to heavy water ingress
3. Change in Methodology for shaft excavation
4. Change in Construction sequence
5. Blasting restrictions imposed due to the litigation
6. Space Constraints for Conventional Excavation from within the Bored Tunnel
7. Instrumentation & Monitoring
 Kalbadevi Station – Current Status
 Project Layout vis-à-vis Kalbadevi Station Layout

• Mumbai Metro Line 3 (MML3) Project is a 33.5km long corridor from Colaba to SEEPZ
• Twin tunnel underground corridor with 27 stations
• Connects 6 Business Districts, 30 recreational facilities & the domestic and International Airports.
• Has several Interchanges with the Western Railway sub-urban network and Mumbai Metro Line-1
 Kalbadevi Station Layout
Connecting Adits

Platform Tunnel
Cut & cover box Cut & cover box Widening

• Up Line and Down Line Tunnels were bored through at the first instance and were widened later
after ring removal by conventional drill and blast method
• The Central Cavern was excavated by conventional means of Drilling & Blasting
 Importance of Kalbadevi

Kalbadevi Metro station provides direct access to traditional markets and is a hub for
wholesale buyers and thus has the potential of a substantial footfall along MML3.

The Metro Station is expected to bring a new dimension to this area in the form of a
Public Transit leading to major changes in the urban environment of Kalbadevi precinct.
This also calls for a guided urban renewal mechanism which can protect the heritage
value while accommodating the new infrastructure.

Heritage and important places of worship include the renowned Mumbadevi Temple & the
Parsi Fire Temples besides various other places of importance.
 Challenges prior to start of construction of Kalbadevi Station
1. Resistance from local populace for demolition of structures and
rehabilitation of the Project Affected Persons

 Series of Public hearings were held to build a conducive environment for the
works to start
 In-Situ rehabilitation schemes were finalized
In-Situ Rehabilitation
2. Dilapidated structures in close proximity to the excavation
 An extensive Building Condition Survey of structures within the Zone of Influence
was conducted prior to the start of the works along with a structural audit of some
critical structures
 Some of the structures were even repaired basis the Structural Audit Reports as
a mark of social responsibility
 No damage to any structure was imparted due to the construction works carried
out in the vicinity
 Bird’s Eye View of Shafts K1 & K2

Shaft K1 Shaft K2
3. Excavation works amidst narrow streets with traffic congestion

 An effective traffic management system was put to place with

diversions of some roads and transforming others to a one-way zone
 Traffic marshals were deployed for controlling the traffic, thus
managing a smooth traffic and uninterrupted construction work
simultaneously
Traffic snarls along the alignment near Kalbadevi Station
4. Heritage Structure – Place of Worship in close proximity & the Litigation
Atash Bahram

Tunnel Alignment Cut & cover Box

• Distance from the outer boundary is 4.8m

• Distance of temple structure is 10m from station box.

• Location of the Heritage structure in close proximity to the K1 Shaft had always been a
matter of concern ever since the start of the Project, due to apprehensions on structural
impact of the metro construction works on this more than 160 years old structure and also
the depletion of water in the ‘sacred’ wells within the premises of the structure.

 Keeping in view the sentiments of the

residents, a minor horizontal shift of the
tunnel alignment was accommodated.
 Addressing the concerns and the
subsequent litigation, an extensive
instrumentation & monitoring regime was
put in place for vibration, settlement, tilt, well
monitoring and Real-Time monitoring
 Recharge wells were made operational in
case the water in the wells depleted, for
which fortunately the requirement never
arose
Recharge Wells adjacent to Heritage structures

Recharge Wells-Anjuman Atash Behram Recharge Wells-Wadiaji Atash Behram

 Challenges during construction of Kalbadevi Metro Station
1. Resistance from local populace for issues arising out of metro construction works
• Main concerns of the residents during the construction phase were:

a. Noise pollution & Vibration emanating from various metro construction activities
 Noise and Vibration Monitoring was carried on which ranged within permissible limits
 Drilling & Blasting was not taken up for the Open Excavations due to public sentiments
resulting in delay in shaft excavations
 Activities of pile driving & hard rock excavation were limited to daytime which
contributed to the delay

b. Claims for damage inflicted to adjacent structures due to Metro construction

activities
 Detailed Pre-Construction Building Condition Survey (PCBCS) was conducted to
counter such claims which helped in quashing of some complaints in the Courts of Law
 Structural Audit of critical structures was taken up along the alignment and
recommended repairs completed prior to start of the construction works
 An extensive Instrumentation & Monitoring regime including Real-Time monitoring
reports were an important tool to counter such claims
2. Delay due to heavy water ingress

• Extensive seepage into the excavation hampered the progress of the works during the
shaft excavation. A 2m thick band of fractured and weathered rock mass was
encountered at depths of 7m below the Ground Level. Ground Water Table was
recorded between 6.5m to 7m. The water bearing soil strata above expunged water
from this weak zone into the excavation. The Ingress ranged roughly between 200 to
300 litres per minute and at high pressures thus causing delays.

 Precautions in the form of Poly Urethane Grout and/or a mixture of cement and
sodium silicate were immediately taken up thus containing the ingress into the
excavation.
 After the initial few phases of the heavy ingress, additional grouting measures
were taken up as a precautionary measure through the excavated walls to
consolidate this weaker zone.
Excessive Water Ingress

Water Ingress during the course of excavation of K1 & k2 Shafts

3. Change in Methodology for shaft excavation
• Trial Blasts were conducted in K2 Shaft but due to resistance from the locals raising
concerns on the noise, vibrations and traffic obstructions during the blast
 The methodology was modified from drill and blast to excavation by breakers
which resulted in delay of excavation of the shafts

Trial Blasting in K2 Shaft

Trial blast area covered with heavy

rubber mats & nylon net
Mechanical Breaking of competent rock & mucking operations in limited space
4. Change in Construction sequence
• Initial sequence of construction emphasised on excavation of the central cavern and
platform widening through conventional means of drill and blast after the completion of
the shafts K1 &K2

PLANNED EXCAVATION SEQUENCE

Start of Excavation Installation of Traffic Decking Deep Excavation Excavation of Central Cavern
and Platform widening

21
 MODIFIED CONSTRUCTION SEQUENCE
A change in the construction sequence was necessitated to keep up to
the Project Timelines, which seemed challenging due to the delays in
excavation of the shafts K1 & K2. Excavation for the central cavern, Stage 1 : Marking, Installation of Temporary support at TBM & Excavation of

platform widening and the connecting adits was take up from within the Transition zone at Down line tunnel as per drawing

bored tunnel.
CST STATION GRANT ROAD STATION
Stage 2: Excavation of Adit upto platform level till start of Collar Beam at Upline
station Tunnel

Stage 3: Marking, Installation of Temporary Support at TBM and Excavation of

Transition zone at Upline tunnel along with excavation for remaining portion of Adit
DOWN LINE TUNNEL

Central Cavern K-2 Block

K-1 Block Stage 4: Excavation of Station Tunnel at Central Cavern

UP LINE TUNNEL

Stage 5: Excavation of Adit below Platform level

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Segment Removal from within the Bored Tunnel
5. Blast induced vibration limitation imposed due to the litigation

• As a result of the litigation filed, the limits of blast induced vibrations for the Heritage
Structure were reduced to 2.54mm/sec as against the original set limits of 5mm/sec.

 Controlled Blasting measures were put to place keeping in view the restrictions
imposed
 Line Drilling at the periphery of the tunnel face consisting of 51mm diameter at a
spacing of 200mm and depths of more than 2m were used to limit the blast
induced vibrations to transmit beyond the excavation boundary
 5 numbers of Reamer holes of 102mm diameter were drilled at the centre of the
profile as a provision of free face for the subsequent blasts
 Production holes of 32mm diameter of 1.2m length were drilled in a ring pattern
at varied spacing for effective blasting
 Vibration Monitoring of the Heritage Structure and other dilapidated structures
above the tunnels was carried out diligently
 The vibrations were thus controlled to levels below 1.5mm/sec at the Heritage
Structure
Drilling and Blasting

Line Drilling

Reamer Holes
and Ring
Pattern of
Production
Controlled Blast Pattern for Adits Holes
Ring wise Blasting in Adits and Central Cavern
Platform Widening
6. Space Constraints for Conventional Excavation from within the Bored Tunnel

 An effective Space Management Plan to deal with the limited space was
formulated
 Rail tracks were shifted in order that both the TBM boring and underground
excavation of the central cavern were carried out without any obstructions

Walkway
Adit opening
from within bored
tunnel

Track alignment shifted for bored tunnel

operations ahead and simultaneous mucking
operations from Adits
7. Instrumentation & Monitoring
• Restrictions from higher courts and close proximity of dilapidated structures was a
major cause of concern during the conventional excavation through drill & blast
 Extensive monitoring regime was established for all the surrounding structures
in general and dilapidated and Heritage structure in particular
 Real-Time monitoring with Alarms and auto generated reports was in place
 Increased frequency of recording the water levels in the ‘sacred’ wells
 Building Monitoring for settlement, crack and tilt was taken up with vigour
Automatic
Total Station
installed in
the vicinity of
the Heritage
structure for
Real-Time
monitoring
Vibration Reports – Heritage Structure
Well Water Level Monitoring – Heritage Structure
Kalbadevi – Current Status
 THANK YOU
FOR YOUR ATTENTION

#WTC2023