TBM ‘Pelican’ Achieves Breakthrough, Completes Longest Twin Tunnel Drive In Chennai Metro Phase II

In a major milestone for the Chennai Metro Rail Project’s Phase II, Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) on Tuesday (15 October) announced the successful breakthrough of Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) S1075B “Pelican”, completing the twin tunnel drive between Panagal Park Station and the Kodambakkam Ramp near Meenakshi College.

The achievement marks the completion of both up and down tunnels along this critical stretch of Corridor–4, following the earlier breakthrough of TBM “Peacock” on 23 July 2025.

TBM Pelican began its initial drive on 1 March 2024 and entered the main drive on 14 May 2024, completing a 2,076 metre tunnel in 594 days — the longest tunnel drive achieved so far under Phase II.

The alignment, running from chainage 7266.09 to 9342.29, reached a maximum invert depth of –31.40 metres beneath the Indian Railways track at Kodambakkam, making it one of the deepest sections in the corridor.

The breakthrough event was witnessed by T Archunan, Director (Projects), CMRL, in the presence of R Ranganathan, General Manager, CMRL, Murugamoorthy, Team Leader, General Consultant, and senior officials, engineers, and contractors associated with the project.

The tunnelling process posed several technical and geological challenges, including excavation through mixed and fractured rock strata, manoeuvring under densely populated urban areas, and negotiating crossings beneath the Indian Railways line at Kodambakkam and two active flyovers.

CMRL had also achieved a similar breakthrough a day ago, when TBM “Bhavani” completed a 910 metre tunnel drive between Royapettah and RK Salai Stations under Corridor–3.

The achievement marks a crucial milestone in connecting key sections of Chennai’s central business district and reflects the project’s steady progress toward completing the 118.9 km Phase II network.

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