Chennai: More than half of Chennai Metro Rail Limited’s 118.9km long Phase II project has been completed, but ballast-less track laying has progressed to only about 67km of tracks so far.A CMRL official said 32km of tracks have been laid between Poonamallee Bypass and Kodambakkam on Corridor 4 (Lighthouse–Poonamallee Bypass), 24km between CTC and Koyambedu on Corridor 5 (Madhavaram Milk Colony–Sholinganallur), and 10.5km between Nehru Nagar and Karapakkam on Corridor 3 (Madhavaram Milk Colony–Sipcot).“We are laying an average of around 125m of track a day. Every completed section is subjected to multiple quality and safety checks before the next stage of work begins,” the official said.Earlier this month, the ministry of housing and urban affairs informed Parliament that 54.62% of the ₹63,246 crore Phase II project had been completed, and that the project is being reviewed regularly by a high powered committee, the CMRL board of directors, and at various levels in the central and state govts, to ensure its expeditious completion.CMRL officials said the project’s timelines were revised due to the Covid 19 pandemic, delays in shifting underground utilities, re-tendering of some station contracts and a shortage of migrant workers during the state assembly election period.Ballast-less tracks undergo a series of quality and safety tests before they are certified for operations. Officials said the tracks are subjected to ultrasonic flaw detection (USFD) tests, which use sound waves to detect internal cracks or defects, followed by oscillation monitoring system (OSM) tests, in which an instrumented train checks ride quality, vibrations and track geometry.While the project continues to face delays, the first operational stretch, the 14.64km Poonamallee Bypass–Vadapalani corridor, has been awaiting an inauguration date from the Centre since March, despite completing mandatory safety clearances in Feb.“Commuters have been travelling through barricades, diversions and narrow roads for years. CMRL must complete the remaining work within the revised timelines instead of extending the inconvenience further,” said R Prakash, a resident of Porur who commutes through Arcot Road every day.
