CHENNAI: The Chennai Metro Rail Limited’s tunnel boring machine (TBM) Kurinji broke through at Srinivasa Nagar Metro Station on Friday, completing a 1.08 km underground tunnel from Kolathur as part of the Phase II project. The tunnel is part of Corridor 5, which will connect Madhavaram in north Chennai with Sholinganallur in the south. 

During the 1.08 km tunnel drive, the TBM had to negotiate a sharp curve with a radius of 230 metres and pass through varying geological conditions, ranging from soil and weathered rock to hard rock. It also crossed more than 70 borewells and open wells in a densely populated residential area. 

CMRL said that the breakthrough was completed without disrupting public movement or traffic. The tunnelling work was executed by Tata Projects with funding support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The tunnel drive began on November 27 last year from Kolathur Metro Station.

The breakthrough marks a milestone in the construction of the underground section of Corridor 5 that spans 47 km, comprising 41.2 km of elevated tracks and 5.8 km of underground sections. The underground stretch includes five stations and two ramps. The corridor will connect several neighbourhoods across the city, linking north Chennai with the southern IT corridor.