Phase-2 20 km metro lines completed in Chennai

Three-and-a-half years after the construction of metro rail's phase-2 commenced, 20 km of the network have been completed in different parts of the city and the suburbs that will link at least 25 localities. This includes a 10.77km tunnel and a 10 km elevated section of both the upline and downline parts of the corridors. The 116.1 km phase-2 with 118 stations has three corridors, including a 42.6 km underground section linked by 45 stations. The report states that localities such as Manapakkam, Mugalivakkam, Ramapuram, Kovilambakkam, Perumbakkam, Porur, Thelliagaram, Iyyappanthangal, Kattupakkam, Poonamallee, Alapakkam, Shastri Nagar, Retteri, PTC Colony, Okkiyampet, Karappakam, Okkiyam Thoraipakkam, Vadapalani, Madhavaram, and Venugopal Nagar have been linked with elevated viaducts and underground tunnels. According to an official, the construction of around 47 stations is also underway, with some stations having entry/exit work in progress and others having sub-structure or superstructure construction in progress, as they are in various stages. The report mentions that the construction work for the 61,843 crore project began on November 21, 2020. Earlier, M. A. Siddique, the managing director of CMRL, had said that phase-2 would be ready in stages between 2026 and 2028, with the stretch from Porur to Poonamallee likely to be the first to open before the end of 2025, and the Thirumayilai metro, which will be an interchange of corridors 3 and 4, and the stations nearby, being the last to be commissioned in 2028. The report also states that CMRL had split the work on the three corridors into small stretches and awarded construction contracts for faster construction and to prevent work stalling on one small stretch from affecting work on other stretches. However, the report mentions that construction is yet to begin in portions of some areas that are already barricaded, such as OMR and Mylapore. At OMR, work is stalled on the section from Sholinganallur to Siruseri Sipcot due to trouble in awarding contracts, and at Mylapore, work was stalled on one section after some shopkeepers approached the court against their eviction.

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