Tunnel boring machine Anaimalai achieves the first breakthrough for Chennai Metro Rail’s phase II project

With the efforts of over 1,000 workers clocking hundreds of manhours this season, Anaimalai became the first tunnel boring machine (TBM) to drill through the earth and create a tunnel between Madhavaram and Venugopal Nagar for Chennai Metro Rail’s Phase II project

With the efforts of over 1,000 workers, Anaimalai became the first tunnel boring machine (TBM) to drill through the earth and create a tunnel between Madhavaram and Venugopal Nagar for Chennai Metro Rail’s Phase II project.

Nearly 40 feet below the ground, when Anaimalai reached the station, the workers sent balloons up in the air and cheered to celebrate the feat. The machine, which was launched from Madhavaram Milk Colony on February 16, bored the earth for 415 metres and reached Venugopal Nagar on Wednesday.

A few years from now, trains will zip through this small section which is a part of corridor 5 (Madhavaram to Sholinganallur – 44.6 km) of the ₹61,843-crore phase II project that runs for 116 km. Of the two tunnels to be built for this stretch, while TBM Anaimalai has arrived, the other TBM Servorayan is expected to reach this station on August 25. All machines deployed in the phase II project are named after a mountain, river or a flower.

According to officials of Chennai Metro Rail Ltd. (CMRL), Anaimalai, which was shipped from China, will be taken to the next site at Ayanavaram after 45 days and it will start boring the tunnel towards Otteri. “While Poonamallee to Porur elevated stretch, a part of corridor 4, will see the beginning of the opening of the phase II project for commuters, the last one to be launched will be Thirumayilai. We are trying to speed up the work in all stretches simultaneously,” an official said.

The first TBM Nilgiris, which was launched in October, continues its drilling and is expected to reach its first location in a few months. This machine will create an underground network for a section of corridor 3 which runs from Madhavaram to SIPCOT (45.8 km). There is one more stretch which is a part of the phase II project – corridor 4 that links Poonamallee to Light House (26.1 km).