Work on the Chennai Metro Rail, which had been delayed for a few months, will soon resume along a portion of the OMR from Sholinganallur to Siruseri.
The phase II project covers the whole IT Expressway in Corridor 3, which will traverse 116 km of the city.
When the project was first announced and contracts were given out for various OMR sections, commuters who had been dealing with terrible traffic for years were thrilled. Although Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) was given the contract by Chennai Metro Rail in April 2023 to construct nine stations along the 10 km route from Sholinganallur to SIPCOT, issues surfaced in the latter part of the previous year, causing delays in the construction process.
Even though the contractor started the project last year, the RVNL-appointed agency or subcontractor to handle the construction work did not complete it, according to CMRL officials. Consequently, RVNL terminated the agency’s contract and found a new company to complete the work. We hope to complete this section on schedule, and construction will soon start,” an official stated.
Many commuters who were dissatisfied with the speed of work frequently tagged CMRL in social media posts. Karthick, a commuter, asked for the construction work on the Sholinganallur-Siruseri stretch to be expedited on platform X. Barricades have been added to OMR Road. Still, other than that, work is moving slowly and not much has changed in the past year. Please give this section top priority and build a small metro depot inside SIPCOT.
“The metro work from Sholinganallur to Siruseri has been stopped due to unknown reasons,” wrote Sathish Galley, a fellow commuter. Please expedite the work as soon as possible; otherwise, this stretch will take longer to complete. Since the work has stopped, the lights are not functioning, so please arrange for proper road lights. Officials from CMRL stated that actions were being taken to ensure adequate lighting and security.
This line originates at Madhavaram and travels through numerous areas including Moolakadai, Perambur, Ayanavaram, Purasawalkam, Chetpet, Sterling Road, Royapettah, Thirumayilai, Adyar, Indira Nagar, Thiruvanmiyur, Taramani, Perungudi, Thoraipakkam, Sholinganallur, Semmancheri, Navalar and ends at SIPCOT covering a distance of 45.4 km. Madhavaram to Sholinganallur via Porur and Poonamallee to Light House via Nandanam are the other corridors coming up in this massive phase II project.