Chennai Metro Tunnel Breakthrough: A Milestone Achieved

Chennai Metro's Phase 2 project has achieved a key construction milestone with the completion of a 1.08 km underground tunnel linking Kolathur and Srinivas Nagar Metro stations. Tunnel boring machine (TBM) Kurinji successfully concluded its drive on November 13, 2026, after commencing from Kolathur on November 27, 2025.

This breakthrough is part of Corridor 5, a 47 km route connecting Madhavaram and Sholinganallur. The underground segment, spanning 5.8 km, involved complex engineering challenges, including navigating sharp curves and varied geological conditions beneath densely populated residential areas. Tata Projects Limited is executing this underground construction under Package C5UG06, with financial aid from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

The successful completion of this tunnel segment represents significant progress for the Metro Phase 2 project. While this marks a construction advancement, passenger services on this corridor are not yet scheduled, as further installation, testing, and commissioning are required before commercial operations can begin.