Udhayanidhi Stalin Initiates Tunneling for Chennai Metro Rail Phase-2.

Tamil Nadu Youth Welfare Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin inaugurated the tunneling work for Chennai Metro Rail Phase-2 at downtown Royapettah on Sunday. Launching the tunneling process with Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) 'Bhavani,' the project will span between Royapettah and Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai (Phase-2/corridor-3), covering approximately 910 meters.

During his visit, Udhayanidhi inspected the progress at various project sites, including the underground station work at Royapettah, the double-decker construction at Alapakkam, and the Poonamallee depot in Ariyamanthanallur village, which covers 40.5 acres.

On the social media platform X, Udhayanidhi highlighted the DMK's ongoing efforts to enhance Chennai's public transportation infrastructure, stating that the inspection of Metro Rail Phase-2 is part of these initiatives. In his capacity as the Minister for Special Programme Implementation, he also conducted a review meeting with the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Authority (CUMTA) to ensure adherence to project deadlines.

An official release mentioned that the minister evaluated several other initiatives, including a proposal to extend Metro Rail services to the new bus terminus at suburban Kilambakkam from the airport via Tambaram, covering 15.5 km.

Health Minister Ma Subramanian, DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran, top officials, and other elected representatives accompanied Udhayanidhi during his inspection. Officials indicated that Metro Rail Phase-2 is expected to witness a phased launch beginning towards the end of 2025.

The Rs 63,246 crore Chennai Metro Rail Phase-2 project, currently in various stages of progress, includes three major routes: Madhavaram to Siruseri SIPCOT (45.8 km--corridor-3), Lighthouse to Poonamallee Bypass (26.1 km--corridor-4), and Madhavaram to Sholinganallur (47 km--corridor-5). The first two corridors, completed years ago, are already operational under Phase-I.

ET