The head of the Herrenknecht subsidiary, Frank Hurst (r.), explained the functioning and the progress of the tunnel boring machines on site. The picture shows (l. to r.): the local Transport Minister Ramakant Goswamib from Delhi, the Federal Minister of Economy and Technology Dr. Philipp Rösler, the Director of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) Mangu Singh and Herrenknecht CFO Kurt Stiefel.

Schwanau, Germany, November 8, 2012. On the occasion of his trip to the Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business, the Federal Minister of Economy and Technology, Dr. Philipp Rösler, visited the "Mandi House" metro jobsite in New Delhi at the beginning of November 2012, gaining in advance an idea of German-Indian economic relations.

He was welcomed by the Local Transport Minister, Ramakant Goswamib, from Delhi, by the Director of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), Mangu Singh, and by Herrenknecht CFO Kurt Stiefel. There is a huge need to expand the infrastructure in Asia, said Economy Minister Rösler. German SMEs are able to provide "technologically attractive solutions" to meet these challenges.

Two Herrenknecht Earth Pressure Balance Shields (EPBs), commissioned by Pratibha Industries Ltd., are currently excavating two new parallel metro tubes in the historic old town of Delhi. In the Indian metropolises of Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata a total of 71 kilometers of tunnel are being built to accommodate efficient public transport systems using Herrenknecht EPB Shields. Mangu Singh informed Economy Minister Rösler about current developments in the metro network. The head of the Herrenknecht subsidiary, Frank Hurst, explained the functioning and the progress of the tunnel boring machines on site. Dr. Rösler seemed visibly impressed by the tunnelling technology made in Schwanau.

Since 2002, Herrenknecht has played a significant role in the expansion of metro networks on a national level, providing a total of 34 tunnel boring machines for this purpose. In previous projects, Indian tunnel construction companies have successfully excavated more than 30 kilometers of metro tunnels in Delhi and New Delhi with Herrenknecht technology.

Herrenknecht India Pvt. Ltd. in Chennai 

Since 2007, the Herrenknecht company has maintained an own subsidiary, Herrenknecht India Pvt. Ltd. in Chennai (State of Tamil Nadu). There, around 90 members of staff support projects and contractors quickly and efficiently. 3,700 square meters of state-of-the-art assembly, steel construction and storage space are available here to meet Indian growth.