The tunnel boring machine "Vladimir" has been sent for maintenance.

      09 January 2026 11:43 Society

      At the end of December, the tunnel-boring complex "Vladimir" completed the laying of the second inter-station tunnel between the future Sennaya and Ploshchad Svobody stations in Nizhny Novgorod. It is now being sent for maintenance, the MetroNN Telegram channel reported.

      According to established rules, after prolonged use under difficult conditions, such as tunnel excavation, inspection and, if necessary, replacement of individual components of the tunnel-boring shield are required. For this, specialists need to disassemble the shield into components and lift them to the surface for detailed inspection.

      The first item to be removed was the rotor — the largest and heaviest element of the shield; it weighs 54 tonnes. The rotor not only provides access to the machine's internal parts but also plays a key role in the tunnel-boring process.

      A phased dismantling of all components of the tunnel-boring complex will follow. The main purpose of this process is to check the integrity of the seals and the waterproofing of the completed tunnel structure.

      After all necessary inspections and maintenance are completed, the fate of the spare parts of the tunnel-boring shield will be decided by its owner.

      Recall that specialists are already preparing equipment for the next stage — laying the tunnel from Gorky Street to Ploshchad Svobody. These works are planned to be completed by the summer of 2026. Key construction stages are scheduled for 2026: erection of permanent station structures, installation of the track superstructure in the tunnels, installation of engineering systems, and the start of interior finishing of the station complexes.

      It was previously reported that the Sennaya and Ploshchad Svobody stations are planned to be completed by 2027. An additional 12.4 billion rubles have been provided in the city budget for 2025 and 2026 to continue construction.

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