CHENNAI: Work on Chennai Metro Rail’s 47km corridor 5 (red line) under Phase II is picking up pace as the busy Koyambedu Metro station is undergoing structural changes to accommodate the elevated alignment towards Madhavaram.
CMRL has begun partially demolishing the station’s main entrance to allow the new viaduct to pass through the existing structure. A redesigned entrance will be built, a metro rail official said, noting that the alignment must integrate with the under-construction red line station at Koyambedu.
Meanwhile, the plan to extend the elevated stretch towards VR Chennai Mall faces engineering constraints as the alignment would require balanced cantilever structures near Thirumangalam and has to cross over the existing green line, requiring a separate portal. The complexity is compounded by proposals for another elevated stretch towards Pattabiram, sources said.
Corridor 5 will run from Madhavaram in north Chennai to Sholinganallur in the south and is targeted for completion by March 2028. This includes a 5km underground section between Retteri and Nadhamuni. The Koyambedu-Sholinganallur elevated stretch is expected to be ready by March 2027.
In the near term, CMRL is prioritising the 12km Koyambedu-Chennai Trade Centre (CTC) section, a key segment of the red line. Part of this stretch will feature a double-decker configuration, stacking rail tracks above road infrastructure to optimise space in congested corridors.
Four stations - Alwarthirunagar, Valasaravakkam, Karambakkam and Alapakkam - will come up in this section. With June 2026 as the deadline, 66% of the work has been completed.
Track-laying is under way at multiple locations, including Mugaliwakkam, Ramapuram and CTC, with around 2km completed so far. Viaduct work between Koyambedu and CTC is expected to conclude by mid-March.