The largest tunnel boring machine (TBM) in Latin America, known as Cora Coralina, has completed the first phase of tunnelling works on the São Paulo Metro Line 2 Green expansion. On Friday, 30 May, the TBM reached the Falchi Gianini ventilation shaft, its final destination before Vila Prudente station.
This marks the completion of 4.5 km of alignment and 3.7 km of tunnels, connecting five construction shafts and four future stations: Orfanato, Santa Clara, Anália Franco, and Vila Formosa, along with the Rapadura Complex. From Orfanato station alone, the TBM advanced 332 metres, removed 35,000 cubic metres of soil, and installed 291 concrete rings.
Since excavation began at the Rapadura Complex in November 2023, the machine has removed a total of 394,000 cubic metres of soil and placed 2,456 precast rings. With the first phase complete, Cora Coralina will now be dismantled and transported to the Penha station site, where it will begin tunnelling the second phase in reverse—heading back toward Rapadura.
Disassembly will take up to 180 days. The components will be lifted from the Falchi Gianini shaft and moved by truck to the Penha site.
The São Paulo Metro Line 2 expansion is divided into two stages. The first, from Vila Prudente to Vila Formosa, includes four new stations and is set to open in 2027. The second, from Vila Formosa to Penha, will add four more stations—Santa Isabel, Guilherme Giorgi, Aricanduva, and Penha—with service expected to begin in 2028.
The Cora Coralina TBM measures 100 metres in length, weighs 2,500 tonnes, and features an 11.66-metre-diameter cutterhead—making it the largest of its kind currently operating in Latin America. The machine can excavate and line up to 15 metres of tunnel per day and is supported by a full backup system that includes conveyor belts, ventilation, a hyperbaric chamber, and lining installation equipment.
Roughly 150 professionals, including engineers, technicians, mechanics, and electricians, work in three shifts to ensure continuous tunnelling operations.
Funded with BRL 15 billion (USD 2.6 billion from the Government of São Paulo, the Line 2-Green extension will add 8.3 km of track and eight new stations between Vila Prudente and Penha, interconnecting with Lines 3-Red, 11-Coral, and the future Line 16-Violet. Once completed, the extension will improve mobility for São Paulo’s eastern region and benefit an estimated 1.2 million passengers daily.
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