Chennai Metro Rail Limited plans to lay 200-metre of track a day on the 27 km Koyambedu to Chennai Trade Centre section of the Red Line. CMRL has completed nearly 45 per cent of track-laying on the stretch, which is intended to reduce commute times on a congested artery. Officials attributed recent slowdowns to a labour shortage after the election period and said the workforce fell by around 10 per cent.

Project officials said there are nearly 2,200 workers on site and that a further 300 are expected within a week, noting availability of migrant labour influences engineering capacity. The full Red Line will measure 47 km and run through 45 stations from Madhavaram in the north to Sholinganallur in the south across dense residential and commercial belts. Officials said discussions are under way about extending operations to Alandur and starting services before the end of this year, but no decision has been taken.

Track-laying on the section is planned to finish by the end of July while station construction along the corridor stands between 40 and 50 per cent complete, officials said. They cautioned that signalling works could take another four months and that such systems are likely to determine any realistic opening date more than track-laying alone. The Butt Road section has improved with better labour availability and the viaduct linking Koyambedu to the double-decker section is expected to be completed by the end of June.

Foundation work at a relocated mosque site is nearing completion and tunnelling on the underground stretch of Corridor four between Power House and Panagal Park is complete. Track-laying and the architectural fit-out of Panagal Park station have not begun and that underground portion is scheduled for completion in March 2027. Between Porur and Vadapalani, civil works at six intermediate stations and Power House are due to finish within two-and-a-half months; passengers at Vadapalani will be routed via a skywalk while entry and exit works continue.