Hoban TBM Wins GTX-A Section 5 Gripper TBM Construction Contract Worth 102.9 Billion KRW

▲ Gripper TBM of Hoban TBM (Provided by Hoban TBM)

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] Hoban Group's construction affiliate Hoban TBM announced on the 20th that it has won the construction contract for the Gripper TBM (Gripper Tunnel Boring Machine) for Section 5 of the Greater Seoul Metropolitan Area Express Railway (GTX) Line A.

GTX-A is a line connecting Unjeong Station in Paju City, Gyeonggi Province to Dongtan Station in Hwaseong City. Among this, Section 5, which Hoban TBM won, is the segment connecting Yeonsinnae in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul to Seoul Station in Yongsan-gu, with a total length of 4.4 km. The contract amount is 102.9 billion KRW, and the construction period is approximately 40 months from the start of construction.

TBM refers to an "advanced tunnel boring machine," an automated machine that can effectively bore underground spaces using a rotary tunnel boring method instead of the blasting method. TBMs can be custom-made according to their purpose and terrain conditions, and are highly regarded for being environmentally friendly due to minimal noise and vibration.

In particular, the Gripper TBM applied in this project is the first TBM in Korea to be used for double-track railways, with a boring diameter of 11.6 meters. This is the largest diameter among Gripper TBMs applied domestically.

A Hoban TBM official stated, “The Gripper TBM applied in this project mechanizes the entire construction process to bore the tunnel and form a safe circular cross-section, making it an eco-friendly method compared to conventional blasting methods,” adding, “Positive evaluations of TBMs continue, and it is expected to be applied to various tunnel construction projects in the future.”