CHENNAI: After the successful trial run on the key stretch of its Phase-II network, Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) is recalibrating the rollout of Corridor-5, with plans to extend services up to Alandur by June 2026 instead of terminating at Nandambakkam as originally envisaged.
The revised sequencing follows the trial run on the Vadapalani-Poonamallee depot section, a double-decker viaduct that is expected to enter commercial service by mid-February. Corridor-5, the 47-km Red Line, runs from Koyambedu to Sholinganallur.
CMRL managing director MA Siddique said the Red Line was initially planned to operate from Koyambedu to the Chennai Trade Centre at Nandambakkam via Alapakkam. “The 12-km Koyambedu-Nandambakkam section was expected to be completed by June 2026 and designed to provide critical trade and commuter connectivity, while bridging multiple operational corridors,” he said.
However, progress on the Vadapalani-Poonamallee stretch has prompted the operator to push the next double-decker section directly to Alandur, a key interchange where the existing Green and Blue lines intersect. The change would allow Phase-II services to integrate earlier with the operational network, improving passenger interchange and operational flexibility.
Meeting the June deadline, however, remains challenging. Sources said the alignment between Alandur and the Chennai Trade Centre runs largely along Butt Road, a narrow, densely built-up corridor with continuous commercial frontage and closely packed housing. While land acquisition has been completed recently, the constrained right-of-way, mixed land use and limited carriageway width complicate construction.
“If we keep barricades for long, it could cause traffic congestion. As a result, piers are being installed only during limited time windows. Though we will try internally to meet the June deadline, it is a difficult proposition,” a source said.
Alandur is already a major interchange, but due to sharp curves involving balanced cantilever on either side of the station there is no feasibility for turn outs for trains to change from up and down line. This will constrain the operational flexibility, sources added.
Tender awarded
CMRL has awarded a Rs 137.08-crore contract to Jakson Limited for electrical, plumbing and fire-protection works at eight underground stations on Phase-II Corridor-4. The scope includes the supply, installation, testing, commissioning and training of systems at stations between Light House Metro and Kodambakkam Metro. The agreement was signed by Manoj Goyal, director (Systems and Operations), CMRL, and Yogendra Prasad, senior manager (EPC business), Jakson Limited, a release said.