Infrastructure
Chennai Metro Rail. (Twitter).
Underground construction work for the Chennai Metro Rail phase-II is set to commence soon in areas like Villivakkam and Kolathur.
Tata Projects has emerged as the lowest bidder for one of the crucial underground stretches connecting Villivakkam and Kolathur. This civil contract is considered one of the most significant and final ones for the phase-II project.
The Chennai Metro Rail project will cover a total distance of approximately 116 km across the city.
It will consist of three corridors: Madhavaram to SIPCOT (corridor-3: 45.4 km), Light House to Poonamallee (corridor-4: 26.1 km), and Madhavaram to Sholinganallur (corridor-5: 44.6 km).
The phase-II project is expected to cost approximately Rs 61,843 crore.
This underground stretch spans about 5 km and includes five stations: Kolathur, Srinivasa Nagar, Villivakkam, Villivakkam Bus Terminus, and Villivakkam MTH Road, reports The Hindu.
Once the Chennai Metro Rail project is completed in the coming years, commuters residing in areas like Villivakkam and Kolathur will be able to avoid traffic congestion and reach their destinations in the north, such as Madhavaram, and the south, including Madipakkam, Medavakkam, and Sholinganallur, more efficiently.
Tunnelling work has already commenced in several locations along corridor-3 of the Chennai Metro Rail project. These locations include Madhavaram, Venugopal Nagar, Greenways Road, and Chetpet.
Chennai Metro Rail Ltd (CMRL) managing director, M A Siddique, stated that phase-2 will be completed in stages between 2026 and 2028.