Chennai: Expressing optimism in completion of tunneling operations along the Egmore-Koyambedu stretch and commencing trial runs in six months, CMRL project director R. Ramanathan said they estimate operations to begin on the Koyambedu-Egmore stretch by December 2015. He was addressing mediapersons during a press tour organised by the company on Saturday to witness the tunnel mining completion works along the 5-km Shenoy Nagar-Thirumangalam stretch.
The tunnel boring machine (TBM) went through the final block of concrete at Thirumangalam amidst loud cheering by the CMRL staff and contractor, Afcons Transtonnels troy, who was allotted the contract to tunnel through the stretch.This concludes the two-year work, which started at Shenoy Nagar through Anna Nagar (east), Anna Nagar tower ending at Thirumangalam.
TheTBMs covered a distance of about 14 metres a day on an average, said a CMRL official, adding that this was the first stretch in which tunneling works have been completed on both sides.Earlier, Mr Ramanathan clarified about the reasons for the delay in the commencement of the much written about Koyambedu-Alandur elevated corridor and expressed the hope that commuters will be able to use the services at least by March 2015.
Commenting that metro rail construction in Chennai was a challenge, the project director observed that the 45.1-km project, though completed, will only be kind of an exhibition project“At least 250-300 km of coverage by metro rail is imperative for a city like Chennai to ease traffic congestion and completing one such project requires at least another 40 years,” he said.
