The sudden downpour on Monday morning has exposed heavy leakage in some of the Chennai Metro Rail stations in the upcoming phase II project which is scheduled for launch soon.
Poonamallee to Porur, a short-elevated section of corridor 4 of the 118.9 km phase II project, received the final safety clearance with certain curbs on speed and frequency in the last week of February. Though commuters were eagerly anticipating the opening of the phase II project and experiencing the train rides in the new stretch, it has been postponed. This is because, while the Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety gave the go ahead for the Poonamallee to Porur stretch, his safety certificate put restrictions on the Porur-Vadapalani stretch, stating that the train services can commence after completion of some civil work. Instead of opening the Poonamallee-Porur stretch alone, Chennai Metro Rail felt launching the services till Vadapalani would be more beneficial and hence the opening of the entire stretch was delayed.
On Monday, much to the surprise of the staff, some of the stations including Karayanchavadi, Thelliyaragaram, Mullaithottam and Porur Bypass witnessed either heavy or minor water leakage. At Thelliayaragaram, heavy water leakage occurred which was pouring over the escalator and similarly in Mullaithottam, there were ‘rains’ within the concourse level. At Karayanchavadi, rainwater was even seen coming out of one of the columns (pillars). The leakage occurred in concourse level, some of the equipment and station controller room in these stations. “It is appalling to see the stations whose construction has been completed are witnessing heavy leakages. This shows poor quality of construction and workmanship,” a source said. Equipment within the stations may get affected if this issue continues, another source said.
