Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) recently signed a contract with Larsen & Toubro Limited for the installation of ballastless tracks on Corridor-5 of Phase-II, stretching from Madhavaram Milk Colony to Sholinganallur.
The expansion of Metro Phase-II is planned with a network length of 118.9 km with 128 stations. It consists of three corridors, namely Corridor-3 from Madhavaram to SIPCOT (45.8 km), Corridor-4 from Lighthouse to Poonamalle Bypass (26.1 km), Corridor-5 from Madhavaram at Sholinganallur (47 km).
Of the total 118.9 km, 76.3 km will be elevated and the rest will be built underground.
The scope of the contract involves supplying, installing, testing, and commissioning ballastless track of standard gauge, including all associated works in the underground and elevated sections.
The contract was awarded for Rs 299 crore, and this is the last track tender that has been awarded for Phase-II.
The contract agreement was signed by T Archunan, director (projects), CMRL, and Sunil Khattar, vice-president, head-metro business unit, L&T.
The estimated cost of the Phase-II project is Rs 63,246 crore.
The contract was issued as a part of the funding received from the JICA (Japanese International Cooperation Agency) for Phase-II.
The JICA has already agreed to fund nearly Rs 2019 crore for a 52.01-km stretch in Phase-II of the Chennai Metro Rail Project. JICA will be funding the stretches between Madhavaram to Sholinganallur (35.67 km) and from Madhavaram to CMBT (16.34 km) under Phase-II of the Chennai Metro Rail Project for a total length of 52.01 km.
The estimated cost of this length is Rs 4,094 crore of which, the loan assistance from JICA will be in the order of Rs 2,019 crore.
The implementation of ballastless tracks will benefit the commuters travelling on this route, making travel more comfortable, efficient, and faster.