Construction on the 7.8 km underground tunnel along Corridor 5 of the Chennai Metro commenced with the deployment of the tunnel boring machine (TBM) ‘Kurinji’ on Wednesday. This TBM will bore a 246-metre tunnel from Kolathur Ramp towards Kolathur Station (upline), with completion expected by June.

Following this phase, ‘Kurinji’ will be retrieved and relaunched from the south shaft to continue tunnelling towards Srinivasa Nagar, covering a distance of 1.06 km. Another TBM, ‘Mullai,’ is scheduled to arrive by the end of March and will be deployed for tunneling from Villivakkam Railway Station towards Villivakkam Bus Terminus, spanning 603 metre.

Two additional TBMs will be launched in subsequent phases based on site readiness. The entire 7.8 km stretch, which includes five underground stations from Kolathur Ramp to Nathamuni Ramp, is being executed by Tata Projects Limited.

Senior officials, including the Additional Chief Secretary (Special Initiatives) and Chennai Metro Rail (CMRL) project directors, inspected the construction site as work progressed. The project had faced a one-year delay due to late tender approvals, but efforts are now underway to expedite construction.

News source: The New Indian Express

Image source: oneindia