After a year of boring, Chennai Metro tunnel linking Royapettah and Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai to be completed this month
One of the three corridors of the 118.9-km project, corridor 3 stretches from Madhavaram to SIPCOT via Royapettah and Mylapore, and its length is 45.8 km. Since the stretch from Madhavaram to Taramani is an underground network, tunnel boring machines are engaged at several locations to drill the earth and link them. Tunnelling is carried out in short stretches based on the location of the station, its geology, as well as proximity to the next station.
In July last year, the tunnel boring machine (TBM) named after the river 'Bhavani' took off from the Royapettah station to build a tunnel till Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai, covering a length of 966 metres.
According to officials of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), the machine is very close to Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai station and will make a breakthrough by the end of this month. Though officials initially expected that there would be weathered rock and clay along this stretch and that tunnelling could be tough, it turned out to be easy.
'This was a fairly smooth stretch with no geological challenges. It was mostly sand and silt. The machine did not face any hiccups. The TBM bored mostly under the Royapettah High Road. But we were careful when it was drilled under the Government Royapettah Hospital,' an official said. The next TBM named after 'Adyar' river will complete its tunnelling work by October, officials said.
While Royapettah station is located close to the YMCA, Government Royapettah Hospital, and a huge mall, near Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai station, there are quite a few hotels and office establishments. When the stretch is ready for train operations, it could be beneficial for thousands of commuters. Also, since corridor 3 links north and southern areas, many can seamlessly travel from one end to the other.
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After a year of boring the earth, Chennai Metro Rail will complete creating an underground network between Royapettah and Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai by the end of this month for its phase II project. One of the three corridors of the 118.9-km project, corridor 3 stretches from Madhavaram to SIPCOT via Royapettah and Mylapore, and its length is 45.8 km. Since the stretch from Madhavaram to Taramani is an underground network, tunnel boring machines are engaged at several locations to drill the earth and link them. Tunnelling is carried out in short stretches based on the location of the station, its geology, as well as proximity to the next station. In July last year, the tunnel boring machine (TBM) named after the river 'Bhavani' took off from the Royapettah station to build a tunnel till Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai, covering a length of 966 metres. According to officials of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), the machine is very close to Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai station and will make a breakthrough by the end of this month. Though officials initially expected that there would be weathered rock and clay along this stretch and that tunnelling could be tough, it turned out to be easy. 'This was a fairly smooth stretch with no geological challenges. It was mostly sand and silt. The machine did not face any hiccups. The TBM bored mostly under the Royapettah High Road. But we were careful when it was drilled under the Government Royapettah Hospital,' an official said. The next TBM named after 'Adyar' river will complete its tunnelling work by October, officials said. While Royapettah station is located close to the YMCA, Government Royapettah Hospital, and a huge mall, near Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai station, there are quite a few hotels and office establishments. When the stretch is ready for train operations, it could be beneficial for thousands of commuters. Also, since corridor 3 links north and southern areas, many can seamlessly travel from one end to the other.
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