Chennai: Getting to Marina Beach from Poonamallee may soon take just a train ride, as Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) on Friday completed the tunnelling work between Lighthouse and Thirumayilai metro stations.In a release, CMRL said the tunnel boring machine (TBM) Flamingo successfully completed the downline tunnel and achieved breakthrough on Friday. The upline tunnel between the two stations was earlier completed by TBM Eagle on Feb 9. The section forms part of the 26.1-km Corridor-4 (Lighthouse–Poonamallee Bypass). The 1,985-m tunnel, constructed by Cemindia Projects Limited, runs beneath some of the city’s most sensitive and congested zones, including the Lighthouse area, the All India Radio campus, the Russian Embassy zone, Rosary Church, the MRTS bridge, and the Buckingham Canal.“The drive navigated challenging geological conditions, including rocky strata, shallow overburden, deepest overburden due to stacked tunnel configuration, and unforeseen gas pockets,” CMRL said. TNN
