TBM Mayrit will be launched in Marchto excavate the 5.6km stretch between Comillas and Conde de Casal stations. It will advance 15m per day, only stopping every 1km for maintenance.
The 1,500-tonne, 98m-long Herrenknecht machine is being assembled in the 27m-deep launch shaft.
The TBM, which has a 9.4m diameter, has been designed for the geology of gravel and course and black clay. It has 54 discs, 172 spades and a 200m turning radius. The spoil will be transported on a 6km-long conveyor belt.
On the first phase of the L11 extension, 43% of the work on five stations has been completed – two new, and three connecting stations. The full project will extend 33km and include 20 stations, becoming what president of the Madrid region, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, said would be the “backbone of Metro de Madrid”.
