TBM Kaveri completes 60 m of tunneling for Phase II of Chennai Metro

15 May 2023 CW Team

The third corridor of the Chennai Metro Phase II project is rapidly being built. Madhavaram Milk Colony and Siruseri Sipcot are linked by this 45.8-kilometer road. The tunnel boring machine (TBM) Kaveri has completed approximately 60 meters of tunneling on this section.

This corridor runs beneath the Adyar River, and Kaveri will build a 400-meter-long tunnel around 20 meters below the river's surface. The tunnel boring machine began excavating in February and is now approximately 300 meters from the river. This will be Chennai's first metro tunnel built beneath the Adyar River. The tunnel and its approach are 1.2 kilometers long, linking Greenways Road Underground Station with Adyar Junction Underground Station.

"From Greenways Road, the TBM will tunnel through Durgabai Deshmukh Road, crossing the Adyar near Thiru Vi Ka Bridge before reaching Adyar junction where a station will be built," the officials said.

According to Chennai Metro officials, the TBM is projected to conclude river ben tunneling by July and reach Adyar junction by November. The tunnel wall will be 35cm thick, according to officials. Depending on the pressure under the river, the thickness can be increased to 40cm or 45cm. The Chennai Metro Phase II project has three new corridors totaling 118.9 kilometers. The total cost of the project is anticipated to be Rs. 69,180 crores.

According to the present alignment, the Purple Line corridor 3 will feature 44 stations. Around 19 km will be elevated, while the remaining 26.72 km will be buried.

The proposed stations are: Madhavaram Milk Colony, Thapalpetti, Murari Hospital, Moolakadai, Sembiyam, Permabur Market, Perambur Metro, Ayanavaram, Otteri, Pattalam, Perambur Barracks Road, Doveton Junction, Purasawalkam High Road, Kellys, KMC, Chetpet Metro, Sterling Road Jn, Nungambakkam, Gemini, Thousand Lights, Royapettah Govt Hospital, Radhakrishnan salai Jn, Thirumayilai Metro, Mandaiveli, Greenways Road Metro, Adyar Jn, Adayar Depot, Indira Nagar, Thiruvanmiyur Metro, Nehru Nagar, Kandanchavadi, Perungudi, Thoraipakkam, Mettukuppam, PTC Colony, Okkiyampet, Karapakkam, Okkiyam Thoraipakkam, Shozhinganallur, Sathyabama and St Joseph College.