Metro Rail begins work on tunnel between Purasawalkam and Kellys

As part of the phase II project, the Chennai Metro Rail has begun work on a tunnel between Purasawalkam and Kellys.

Tunnels, viaducts, and stations are built across the city over a length of 118.9 km, as part of the ₹63,846-crore phase II project, to connect different areas of the city to the three corridors — Madhavaram to SIPCOT via Purasawalkam and Adyar (corridor 3); Light House to Poonamallee via Kodambakkam and T. Nagar (corridor 4); and Madhavaram to Sholinganallur via Koyambedu and Ullagaram (corridor 5).

Locations such as Purasawalkam and Kellys are a part of corridor 3 of the phase II project. Work has commenced to create an underground network. This would facilitate smooth commute to the northern and southern parts of the city for the residents of Purasawalkam.

Officials of the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) said they recently deployed a tunnel-boring machine (TBM) at Purasawalkam. It is drilling towards Kellys. “We are in the initial phase of the tunnelling process; the machine will gradually pick up speed. So far, we have completed drilling for about 60 metres. We will have to tunnel carefully as the machine has to bore through sandy soil. The machine will have to bore through a distance of 300 metres. It is likely to be completed by the end of January,” an official said.

For constructing twin tunnels (one for upline track and another for downline track), CMRL usually starts operating the second TBM only after the first machine completes drilling 100 metres. “But in this case, we can start the second TBM only after the first TBM completes tunnelling through the entire 300-metre stretch. This is because there isn’t adequate land available for us in the area to launch both the machines at a time,” he added.

Published - November 29, 2024 10:20 pm IST