The tunnel boring machine "Yevdokiya" is a mining complex that has been operating since late May 2026 on the construction of the left running tunnel of the Nizhny Novgorod metro, from Gorky Street) toward Freedom Square. The total route length is approximately 730 meters; over this distance, the complex is to install 485 rings of high-precision reinforced-concrete lining.[1][2]

Origin and delivery

The shield was manufactured by the Chinese company CRCHI, part of the construction corporation CRCC, in the city of Changsha. The complex sat idle for more than two years awaiting the resumption of work at the construction site on Gorky Street. By early summer 2025, the equipment had been purchased.[2] Delivery was carried out on 13 heavy-load trucks that covered approximately 10,000 kilometers across China, Kazakhstan, and Russia. The main non-dismountable components — the rotor and the shield body, with a diameter of more than 6 meters — were transported with a special escort, exclusively at night and along pre-approved routes.[2]

The name "Yevdokiya" was given to the shield Evdokia Dmitrievna — the wife of Dmitry Donskoy and an Orthodox saint.[2] The first launch took place in late May 2026.[3]

Progress of boring

By August 5, 2026, the shield had passed the 200-meter mark — nearly a third of the entire planned route. During this time, the tunneling crew installed more than 140 rings of high-precision reinforced-concrete lining.[4] Work is proceeding on schedule.[3]

One of the key stages was the passage near the historic 1833 block: the shield carefully navigated around buildings no. 123 and no. 127 on Gorky Street, which had been reinforced prior to boring. The construction zone included cultural heritage sites — the House of the Meshchanin Stolyarov and Museum of the Nizhny Novgorod Intelligentsia ("House with a reconstructed memorial interior depicting the life of the Nizhny Novgorod intelligentsia of the late 19th – early 20th centuries," Gorky Street, 127).[4][2]

The second shield and completion timeline

Alongside "Yevdokiya," the right tunnel is being bored by Tunnel boring machine «Alyona»»»", launched in late July 2026 from the same launch shaft on Gorky Street. The name "Alyona" was given in honor of the heroine of the legend of Koromyslova Tower; the name "Alyona" was given to the second shield in honor of a girl named Alyona who, according to legend, in the 16th century on her way to fetch water engaged enemies in battle armed with nothing but a yoke.[5] "Alyona's" route goes around the historic block from the opposite side.[2] Both tunnels are planned to be completed by the end of 2026. Construction of Sennaya Square is being carried out by the company Mosproekt-3; their opening is scheduled for the second half of 2027. The cost of the works has grown since the project's start from 35.5 billion to nearly 48 billion rubles.[2]

Sources

  1. Nizhegorodskaya Pravda — The first tunnel boring machine has already covered 200 meters from the construction pit — The total route length of "Yevdokiya" is 729 meters; during this distance the complex is to install… (archive)
  2. GIPERNN — "Yevdokiya" has bored 200 meters of metro tunnel toward Freedom Square (archive)
  3. NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" — "Yevdokiya" completed the first 200 meters of the Nizhny Novgorod metro tunnel (archive)
  4. Vremya N — Tunnel boring machine "Yevdokiya" covered 200 meters toward Freedom Square (archive)
  5. KP — Nizhny Novgorod — Metro shield "Yevdokiya" navigated around the historic block on Gorky Street — The name "Alyona" was given to the second shield in honor of a girl named Alyona who, according to legend, in the 16th century on her way to fetch water engaged… (archive)
  6. Otkryty Nizhny — Almost a third of the way there: shield "Yevdokiya" covered 200 meters toward Freedom Square (archive)