Chennai Metro Initiates Tunnelling Work at Ayanavaram for Phase II Project

The Chennai Metro Rail Ltd. (CMRL) has commenced its phase II underground work at Ayanavaram after successfully completing projects at Madhavaram and Greenways Road. Ayanavaram will house an underground station as part of the Madhavaram-SIPCOT corridor 3 in the phase II project, which spans 116 kilometers and is estimated at ₹61,843 crores.

The ambitious phase II project also includes two additional corridors — Light House-Poonamallee (corridor 4) and Madhavaram-Sholinganallur (corridor 5). CMRL officials have reported that three tunnel boring machines (TBM) named Kalvarayan, Melagiri, and Kolli have been deployed at the Ayanavaram site.

Two of these TBMs have already started tunneling, with one moving approximately 100 meters toward Perambur and the other drilling about 50 meters toward Otteri. The remaining TBM will begin work next week, and another will soon be lowered at the site to further advance the underground network.