CHENNAI (Metro Rail News): Preparations are underway to commence tunnel construction in the coming months following the barricading of Marina Beach for Chennai Metro Rail Ltd.’s phase II project. The Light House station, under corridor 4 of the phase II project, spans a distance of 26.1 km from Light House to Poonamallee. Approximately half of this distance, from Light House to Kodambakkam, will be constructed underground, whereas the remaining portion will be elevated up to Poonamallee.
Furthermore, two other corridors, namely Madhavaram to SIPCOT (corridor 3) and Madhavaram to Sholinganallur (corridor 5), are also being developed as part of the 116 km phase II project.
To facilitate the tunnel construction, a tunnel boring machine (TBM) will be deployed at the Light House station in August. By the end of 2025, the TBM is expected to complete the tunneling process up to Boat Club. Another TBM will be utilized later this year to create twin tunnels over the same distance, ensuring the operation of trains within the underground network within two years.
Flamingo, the TBM, boasts impressive specifications, including a diameter of 6.670 meters, a length of 110 meters, and a weight of nearly 700 tonnes. Having recently undergone the Factory Acceptance Test at Alinjivakkam village in Tiruvallur, the machine will now be disassembled and transported to the Light House station site in several stages over the coming weeks.
Currently, construction is underway for the TBM launching shaft at the Light House station, with assembly expected to be completed by August. Once operational, the TBM will excavate tunnels at a depth of 29 meters below the ground.
