Milestone Events in Corridor-4 of Phase-2 Project of Chennai Metro

Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) is implementing the much-anticipated Phase-2 Metro Rail Project across Chennai city, covering 118.9 km across three corridors with 128 metro stations. Significant milestones have been achieved in Corridor-4 (Light House to Poonamallee Bypass – 26.1 km), particularly in the underground works.

Corridor‑4 Overview
- Route: Light House → Poonamallee Bypass (26.1 km).
- Packages: UG‑01 & UG‑02, ~4 km each of twin tunnels.
- TBMs: Four deployed, each with 6.67 m diameter.

TBM “Eagle” Breakthrough (UG‑01)
- Location: Thirumayilai Shaft.
- Date: February 9, 2026.
- Tunnel length: 1,981 m.
- Contractor: Cemindia Projects Limited.
- Challenges: Passed under 151 buildings, historic sites (Chennai Lighthouse, All India Radio, Russian Embassy, schools, churches).
- Geological issues: rock strata, gas leakage near St. Raphael’s School.
- Operated mainly in closed‑face mode, 17 cutterhead interventions.
- Duration: 24 months.

TBM “Pelican” Launch (UG‑02)
- Stretch: Panagal Park → Boat Club Station.
- Drive length: 1,898 m.
- Companion TBM: “Peacock” already completed 370 m.
- “Pelican” earlier completed 2 km drive Panagal Park → Meenakshi College, safely under Indian Railways tracks.
- “Peacock” dismantled, reassembled for new drive.
- Engineering challenge: tunnelling beneath Phase‑1 Metro tunnels near Nandanam, depth up to 30.2 m.
- Target completion: December 2026.

Ceremony & Presence
- Officials present:
- Thiru T. Archunan, Director (Projects), CMRL
- Thiru R. Ranganathan, GM (Construction), CMRL
- Thiru C. Murugamoorthy, Team Leader, General Consultants
- Teams from CMRL, AEON Consortium, Cemindia Projects Limited