The unexpected stoppage of the L9 tunnel boring machine in February set off all the alarms in the Generalitat. Greater wear than expected on the cutting wheel of the machine reactivated in the spring of 2022 forced its progress to be suddenly stopped. The machine was then subjected to a “temporary technical stoppage to carry out maintenance work,” according to the Territori department, which kept the detected problems secret until La Vanguardia made it public at the beginning of April.
Changing the teeth of the front shield that pierces the ground has taken nearly three months, as those responsible for the work anticipated. The machine is now about 500 meters from Mandri station. Once the problem caused by the hardness of the granite encountered by the tunnel boring machine has been resolved, progress will be made until reaching that future station located next to Paseo de la Bonanova. It will be throughout the summer as long as there is no other setback in the work with a long history of delays.
Once it reaches the Mandri well, the tunnel boring machine will once again undergo a deeper analysis and a thorough review to plan the necessary work to excavate the 1.6 kilometer stretch that will be left to reach Lesseps. Of course, the completion date of the works is a mystery. The intention to open the central section of L9 in 2027 is already ruled out, but in the Territori department they avoid making new horizons public.
In parallel, during all these weeks work has continued to progress at the Mandri station, where the 75 meter deep well has already been excavated and work is being carried out prior to the arrival of the tunnel boring machine. Progress is also being made in Sarrià, where nearly 70% of the well has been excavated, and in the placement of the intermediate slab in the other part of the tunnel that has already been built but where the trains have not yet passed nor is it known when they will pass.
