The tunnel boring machine ‘Servarayan’ was launched from Madhavaram High Road in early 2024 to create a tunnel till Moolakadai.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Nearly two years after the work started, Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has completed the tunnel from Madhavaram High Road to Moolakadai, one of the short stretches of the Phase II project.This stretch falls under the corridor 3, which spans from Madhavaram to SIPCOT. Since the first half of the corridor — Madhavaram to Taramani — is an underground network, tunnelling work has been in progress in several areas. Among these, the tunnel boring machine (TBM) ‘Servarayan’ was launched from Madhavaram High Road in early 2024 to create a tunnel till Moolakadai. But it has taken around two years to cover a distance of 824 metres.One of the reasons for this is the delay in building the shaft, a structure essential for the tunnel to launch and breakthrough, at the Moolakadai Metro Station. Similar to many underground locations on corridor 3, which are facing the same issue, this setback occurred as the station construction bids for this corridor had to be cancelled and the tenders had to be floated again. This resulted in an inordinate delay in the construction of underground stations for this corridor.‘Servarayan’ bored under the Buckingham Canal too and nearly 14 borewells had to be closed for this work, a press release from CMRL said. Alternative water sources were arranged for the residents. Published - May 19, 2026 08:54 pm IST
