Click it and Unblock the Notifications
Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) is planning to speed up work on the Red Line by laying around 200 metres of track every day on the 27-km stretch between Koyambedu and Chennai Trade Centre. Even though the project has been affected by a shortage of workers, officials say nearly 45% of
the track-laying work on this section has already been completed. This route is important because it will improve travel across one of Chennai's busiest and most crowded corridors.
Chennai Metro's Red Line Track-Laying Work Faced Delays
The work had slowed for nearly 75 days during the recent election period because many labourers left the city. Even now, CMRL is facing a workforce shortage of around 10%. At present, around 2,200 workers are on site, and the agency expects another 300 workers to join soon. Officials say the availability of migrant labour plays a major role in how quickly such large metro projects can move forward.
Chennai Metro Red Line
The full Red Line, part of Chennai Metro Phase II, will run for 47 km from Madhavaram to Sholinganallur and will have 45 stations. It is one of the city's major upcoming metro corridors, expected to connect key residential and commercial areas. CMRL is also exploring whether metro services on this corridor can be extended up to Alandur and started before the end of this year, though officials have clarified that no final decision has been taken yet.
CMRL expects the track-laying work on the current section to be completed by the end of July. However, station construction and signalling work remain. Station work is about 40-50% complete, while signalling may take another four months. Therefore, if track work finishes soon, passenger services will depend on the completion of other systems too.