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The Chennai Metro Rail Project made major progress when the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) named "Pelican," operated by ITD Cementation, completed its tunnel work at the Kodambakkam Ramp near Meenakshi College on October 15, 2025. This marks the end of tunnelling between Panagal Park Station and the Kodambakkam Ramp, which
is part of Corridor 4 in Phase 2 of Chennai Metro.
Metro Stations and Tunnelling Process
Corridor 4 is a 26.8 km-long metro line connecting Light House to Poonamallee Bypass, which includes 12 underground stations and 18 elevated stations. The tunnelling was part of Package UG-2 of Phase 2. TBM Pelican started its initial operations on March 1, 2024, and began the full tunnelling drive on May 14, 2024. Over a period of 594 days, it completed a total tunnel length of 2,076 metres, and is the longest tunnel completed so far in the Phase 2 project. The breakthrough event was attended by senior officials from Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), including Director (Projects) T. Archunan, General Manager R. Ranganathan, and General Consultant Team Leader Murugamoorthy, along with other engineers, contractors, and staff. ITD Cementation was awarded this tunnelling contract in January 2022 under Package C4-UG02 for ₹1,846.86 crore by CMRL.
The contract involved building underground stations at Boat Club, Nandanam, Panagal Park, Kodambakkam, and Kodambakkam Flyover. It also included constructing a crossover at Panagal Park, twin tunnels, cut-and-cover sections, U-shaped tunnels, and a ramp between chainage points 5+150 metres and 10+0.27 metres. This milestone brings Corridor 4 a step closer to completion, adding momentum to the overall Chennai Metro Phase 2 project, which aims to improve urban connectivity and reduce road traffic in the city.
