As per the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), the first section of tunnelling for the Metro 3 project is expected to be completed by September.  A 1.2 km long tunnel is the distance between two points Marol Naka where the tunnelboring machines has been deployed and CSIA International  Airport.  MMRC  has dug over 5 km of tunnels across various sections of the corridor. Ashwini Bhide, Managing Director, MMRC, said on Tuesday, “We are pleased to announce the completion of 5 km of tunnelling within one year of the project’s initiation.  With the strong and ceaseless support from all our stakeholders, we are positive to complete the project [by] December 2021.”  Eight TBM’s  are at four launch shafts :  Azad Maidan, Naya Nagar at Mahim, Vidyanagari in Kalina, and Marol Naka.  After the factory acceptance test,15 TBM’s have arrived in the city.  “The lowering process of three TBMs is in progress, and by the end this month, two more will be lowered.  All 15 TBMs are expected to be working by October,” an MMRC spokesperson said.  The pace of the project will more than double after all TBMs are lowered.  At present, the machines are tunnelling 350 metres per week, which is expected to increase up to 800 metres per week by October.  The TBMs need to bore 52 km for the up and down line of Metro 3.  From Azad Maidan to Grant road , TBM’s that are tunnelling have completed more than a kilometre of the total 4.5 km. In November 2017  the first set of TBM’s deployed at Mahim last year has completed  around 2.2 km of the 2.5-km tunnel up to Dadar Metro station. The TBMs from Kalina are tunnelling towards the domestic airport and have dug a little over a kilometre out of 2.98 km.