CHENNAI: Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has completed a key tunnelling milestone on its Phase 2 network, with the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) “Marutham” breaking through at the Villivakkam Bus Terminus station’s north shaft after a drive that took it under five live railway tracks.
The machine began its 601 metre drive on April 24 from Villivakkam railway station and emerged at the bus terminus site. CMRL said the work caused no disruption to the public or to road traffic, despite the constraints of boring beneath one of the city’s busier suburban rail junctions and through a dense residential neighbourhood, where CMRL had to put ground protection measures in place, a release stated.
The breakthrough is the first in Corridor 5’s package to cross beneath the five tracks at Villivakkam railway station. It also takes the completed tunnel length on the corridor to 2.67 km.
Corridor 5, one of several being built under Phase 2, runs to 47 km in total. The full underground section includes five stations and two ramps, with a total single-tunnel length of 7.88 km.
T Archunan, CMRL’s director of projects; the corporation’s chief general managers T Livingstone Eliazer, S Ashok Kumar and K Gurusamy; and K Ramesh, Tata Projects’ project director. Tony Burchell, team leader of the general consultants, were present during the occasion.