ACCIONA Marks First Break Through on Quito Metro

By TBM News October 5, 2017

The “Luz de América” tunnel boring machine (TBM), one of three machines that ACCIONA Construction is using to carry out the works of the Quito metro, reached its first station, Cardenal de la Torre, on Sept. 21 after drilling 670.50 m and installing 447 lining rings.

This machine was to undergo maintenance works for approximately 15 days at Cardenal de la Torre station before continuing towards the next station, El Recreo.

This initial section of excavation involved reconstructing and delivering the main drain in the Río Grande sector, which came into operation on Aug. 23. The drain is 4 m wide, 4.3 m high and 259.54 m long. This reconstruction work was necessary to allow the “Luz de América” TBM to cross the path of the old drain.

“Luz de América” will excavate around 8.1 km of tunnel for the underground track of Line 1 of the Quito metro, between Solanda and La Alameda stations. Two of the TBMs, “La Guaragua” and “Luz de América”, will meet at the latter station where they will be dismantled once their work is complete.

Three TBMs, “La Guaragua”, “Luz de América” and “La Carolina”, are working simultaneously on the Quito metro and have already drilled 6,409.5 m of tunnel, lined with 4,273 rings.

The works are 42% complete, with 47 active worksites including stations and supplementary works.

This metro line is the first part of a new public transport system for Quito that will modernize the infrastructure of Ecuador’s capital city.