CMRL Phase II Completes 67km of Ballastless Track Laying Across Chennai

Chennai Metro Rail Limited has completed more than half of its 118.9km Phase II project across Chennai, with ballast-less track laying reaching approximately 67km across three key corridors, covering stretches between Poonamallee Bypass, Kodambakkam, and Koyambedu.

According to a CMRL official, track work has been distributed across multiple corridors. On Corridor 4, running from Lighthouse to Poonamallee Bypass, workers have laid 32km of tracks on the section between Poonamallee Bypass and Kodambakkam. On Corridor 5, which connects Madhavaram Milk Colony to Sholinganallur, 24km of tracks have been installed between CTC and Koyambedu. Along Corridor 3, linking Madhavaram Milk Colony to Sipcot, 10.5km of track has been completed between Nehru Nagar and Karapakkam.

Teams are currently laying an average of roughly 125 metres of track per day. A CMRL official noted that every completed section must go through multiple quality and safety inspections before workers can transition to the subsequent stages of construction.

Earlier this month, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs told Parliament that 54.62% of the overall ₹63,246 crore Phase II network has been finished. The ministry noted that the project is subject to regular reviews by a high-powered committee, the CMRL board of directors, and central and state government authorities to maintain progress toward completion.

Officials from CMRL stated that project timelines experienced earlier revisions due to several hurdles. These factors included disruptions from the Covid-19 pandemic, delays encountered while shifting underground utilities, the need to re-tender certain station contracts, and a shortage of migrant workers during the state assembly election period.