In what could be seen as a big disappointment for commuters, work on Metro Rail’s phase II stretch between Porur and Power House has been delayed and likely to be opened only by mid-2026.
For the massive ₹61,843-crore phase II project, Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) had planned to first open the fully-elevated stretch from Poonamallee to Power House via Porur by the end of 2025. This stretch constitutes a part of one of the three key corridors in the project – Light House to Poonamallee (Corridor 4 – 26.1 km). Madhavaram to SIPCOT (Corridor 3 – 45.8 km) and Madhavaram to Shollinganallur (Corridor 5 – 47 km) are the other two other corridors that will be built for the phase II project, taking the total length to 118.9 km.
According to officials of CMRL, only the stretch from Poonamallee to Porur is likely to be opened by December 2025.
“The stretch from Porur to Power House has been delayed by about five to six months and may be opened only by mid-2026. One of the primary reasons for the delay is the time taken to acquire lands. It took almost a year for this work, and the entire acquisition process for this stretch was finished only about three months back. But we are holding discussions with the contractor to accelerate the work and reduce the delay,” an official said.
Another major challenge is that a part of the stretch – Porur-Alwarthirunagar – will be built as a double-decker. Hence, Corridors 4 and 5 will have common stations at Porur, Alapakkam, Karambakkam, Valasaravakkam and Alwarthirunagar. “This is one of the most of difficult stretches to be built for the phase II project and will be time consuming,” he added.
While the construction work is in progress between Poonamallee and Porur, sources said, there is some difficulty in the completion of two stations — Kumananchavadi and Karayanchavadi. “In these two locations, there are some issues related to land, but they have been resolved now and will be opened on time,” another official said.
Published - April 09, 2023 07:50 pm IST
