Chennai Metro second phase gets a push

11 Nov 2020 Editorial Team

Earlier this year, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) decided to provide 12,722 sq m of land. The land worth Rs 41.99 crore was provided for the second phase of the city’s metro rail project. The land also includes an “Amma canteen”, an open playground, a portion of a road, and two parks.

The project was listed in the India Investment Grid to attract global investments for infrastructure projects in India. The Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) project was listed as “under development” in the detailed project report. The official website further clarifies that the total cost of the project is Rs 69,180 crore ($9.36 billion), and that Rs 100 crore ($13.53 million) of the project cost has been incurred till 31 August 2020.

Additionally, the 289.6 acres of land required by CMRL for the construction of the three corridors have not been acquired yet. This includes the 260.7 acres for the construction of the priority corridor from Madhavaram to Sholinganallur on Corridor 3 and Madhavaram to CMBT on Corridor 5.

Mode of delivery: The metro rail project is expected to be implemented in the engineering, producerment, construction (EPC) mode. In this mode, the contractor would be involved in all the steps, the design, construction, procurement, commissioning, and handover of the metro rail project.

The project attracted global attention with top construction and consultancy firms bidding for the construction of the fourth corridor. Firms from Korea, Europe, the United States, and Japan have placed bids for the same.

Chennai Metro has also invited nine construction bids for the second phase of the Chennai Metro project. The CMRL officials clarified that they wouldn’t have any problems receiving funds from the agencies and the project may need government funding only in the later stages of the project. The second phase of CMRL’s project already received funding from international agencies such as the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). JICA agreed to loan an amount of $2.71 billion (approximately Rs 20,196 crore) for the priority corridor. Moreover, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) agreed to fund $795.4 million (around Rs 6,000 crore) for the construction of the 16 km stretch extending from Meenakshi College to Poonamallee bypass on the fourth corridor and from CMBT to Sholinganallur on Corridor 5.

The 119 km stretch of the Chennai Metro’s Phase-2 which will connect the core city localities with the suburban areas has been listed under the National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, aimed to attract global investors.This corridor will be connecting Chennai’s core localities like T Nagar, Nandanam, Mylapore, Vadapalni, and the like to the city’s developing IT hubs at Porur and Poonamallee. The project is estimated to cost Rs 69,180 crore. Work is likely to begin in early 2021 and with a deadline for 2026. Earlier this year, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) decided to provide 12,722 sq m of land. The land worth Rs 41.99 crore was provided for the second phase of the city’s metro rail project. The land also includes an “Amma canteen”, an open playground, a portion of a road, and two parks. The project was listed in the India Investment Grid to attract global investments for infrastructure projects in India. The Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) project was listed as “under development” in the detailed project report. The official website further clarifies that the total cost of the project is Rs 69,180 crore ($9.36 billion), and that Rs 100 crore ($13.53 million) of the project cost has been incurred till 31 August 2020. Additionally, the 289.6 acres of land required by CMRL for the construction of the three corridors have not been acquired yet. This includes the 260.7 acres for the construction of the priority corridor from Madhavaram to Sholinganallur on Corridor 3 and Madhavaram to CMBT on Corridor 5. Mode of delivery: The metro rail project is expected to be implemented in the engineering, producerment, construction (EPC) mode. In this mode, the contractor would be involved in all the steps, the design, construction, procurement, commissioning, and handover of the metro rail project. The project attracted global attention with top construction and consultancy firms bidding for the construction of the fourth corridor. Firms from Korea, Europe, the United States, and Japan have placed bids for the same. Chennai Metro has also invited nine construction bids for the second phase of the Chennai Metro project. The CMRL officials clarified that they wouldn’t have any problems receiving funds from the agencies and the project may need government funding only in the later stages of the project. The second phase of CMRL’s project already received funding from international agencies such as the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). JICA agreed to loan an amount of $2.71 billion (approximately Rs 20,196 crore) for the priority corridor. Moreover, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) agreed to fund $795.4 million (around Rs 6,000 crore) for the construction of the 16 km stretch extending from Meenakshi College to Poonamallee bypass on the fourth corridor and from CMBT to Sholinganallur on Corridor 5.

Infrastructure Transport

07 Apr 2026

Tunnelling Begins for Thane, Borivali twin tunnel project

Tunnelling work has commenced for the 11.84-km Thane–Borivali Twin Tunnel, set to be India’s longest urban road tunnel, marking a key milestone in Mumbai’s infrastructure development.As per a post shared by Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority on social media platform X, the tunnel boring machine (TBM) ‘Nayak’—the country’s largest single-shield hard rock TBM for an urban tunnel—was launched by Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday. The event was attended by Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar, among other dignitaries. A second TBM, ‘Arjuna’, is expected to be launched so..

Infrastructure Transport

07 Apr 2026

Large Format Store Planned At M G Road Metro Station

M G Road station in Bengaluru is set to host the city’s first large-format commercial and experience space, with planning led by Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited. BMRCL has invited proposals to develop and operate a central business district destination at the Purple?Pink Line interchange. The plan positions the station as a commercial hub designed to serve a broad commuter base across the city. The proposal is part of a broader effort to activate transit nodes commercially. Tender documents set a minimum monthly rental of Rs 0.944 million (mn), inclusive of GST, for the large-format..

Infrastructure Energy

07 Apr 2026

Government Cancels Auction Of Eleven Critical Mineral Blocks

The government has cancelled the auction of 11 critical and strategic mineral blocks after receiving a poor investor response and failing to attract a sufficient number of qualified bidders. The decision represents a setback to plans to ramp up domestic exploration and production of critical minerals amid global supply chain disruptions and rising demand for materials used in clean energy and advanced technologies. The mines ministry issued an annulment notice setting out the reasons for the cancellations. The annulment notice indicated that the auction process for five mineral blocks was canc..