Lighthouse To Thirumayilai Chennai Metro Tunnel: When Will It Be Completed?

Chennai Metro News: When will the Lighthouse to Thirumayilai Metro tunnel be completed? Well, the key tunnel, which is part of Chennai Metro's Phase II, is nearing its completion, The Hindu reported.

This stretch is poised to become a crucial commuter route. In just three years, the tunnel will host driverless metro trains, enhancing connectivity from Thirumayilai and Kutchery Road to Marina Beach. The tunnel will be ready by September 2025.

118.9-kilometre Network

The larger Phase II expansion covers a massive 118.9-kilometre network with 128 stations, spread across three corridors: Corridor-3 from Madhavaram to SIPCOT (45.8 km), Corridor-4 from Lighthouse to Poonamallee Bypass (26.1 km), and Corridor-5 from Madhavaram to Sholinganallur (47 km).

The cost of the project is estimated to be ₹63,246 crore.

Tunneling work on this key segment is being executed by two tunnel boring machines (TBMs) named Flamingo and Eagle. Flamingo began its 1.96-km journey in September 2023, starting from Lighthouse and moving toward Thirumayilai via Kutchery Road, while Eagle is creating a parallel tunnel along the same route. At present, Flamingo is working its way through the Kutchery Road station and is expected to reach Thirumayilai in about five months. Eagle is also set to enter Kutchery Road station shortly.

Challenges

The path hasn't been without challenges. Flamingo has faced multiple setbacks, including breakdowns and technical delays. In the initial stages, abrasive soil conditions led to frequent wear and tear, requiring repeated part replacements. One of the major hurdles was a malfunction in the cutter head, which took engineers nearly 40 days to repair.

Despite these difficulties, Flamingo has successfully tunneled 1.3 kilometres, while Eagle has covered 1.2 kilometres so far. Metro officials remain optimistic, noting that although the soil composition between Lighthouse and Thirumayilai is complex, the progress has been consistent and the tunnel is on track for timely completion.