The Chennai Metro Phase II project is gaining momentum as the construction proceeds. As a crucial step, land acquisition for the project is nearing its completion phase.
With 92 per cent of the land already acquired, Chennai Metro Rail Ltd (CMRL) requires about 115.6 hectares of land for the project, of which they have taken possession of 106.3 hectares.
However, owing to the modification in station designs near Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR), additional land is needed, which has increased the requirement from the initial 112.72 hectares.
To ensure the convenience of pedestrians on walkways near OMR, CMRL has altered the designs of the stations. As a result, they need to acquire more land parcels, and the process is underway to acquire them quickly.
To execute the mass rapid transit system project efficiently, 118 stations will be built in three distinct corridors.
Corridor 3, will span from Madhavaram to SIPCOT (45.4 km); Corridor 4 will extend from Light House to Poonamallee (26.1 km); and Corridor 5 will stretch from Madhavaram to Sholinganallur (44.6 km).
The initial phase of the project is progressing well, and the first segment between Poonamallee and Porur, which is part of Corridor 4, has already received crucial land acquisition for station construction.
According to the CMRL authorities, measures were taken to make the land acquisition for the Phase II project simple and swift.
For instance, compared to the Phase I project, the size of the stations of Phase II has been reduced significantly. The size of stations was lessened from 220 metres in Phase I to 150 metres in Phase II.
Similarly, each station will only have two entry and departure ports in Phase II as opposed to four in each station in Phase I.
The estimated cost of the Phase II project is Rs 63,246 crore. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2028.
The Phase I of Chennai Metro consists of a 54.1 km network with two corridors (ie, Corridor 1 from Wimco Nagar to Airport and Corridor 2 from Chennai Central to St Thomas Mount).
There are 41 stations of which 21 are underground and 20 elevated. The entire Phase I is fully operational.