Construction has commenced on Chennai’s most profound metro rail station, situated at Thirumayilai. This ambitious project is poised to significantly enhance the city’s connectivity and commuting convenience. Expected to be operational between 2025 and 2028, the station will be located over 100 feet below ground level, showcasing an impressive engineering feat. It is slated to serve as a critical interchange hub for phase-2 corridors 3 and 4, facilitating seamless transfers and enhancing overall travel efficiency.
Presently, construction activities are focused on constructing the peripheral walls, which will provide structural support to the station, at a depth of approximately 35 meters below Luz Junction. This foundational work is crucial for establishing a stable and secure underground environment for the station and its operations.
The station box, covering an area of 4,854.4 square meters under Luz Junction, will be equipped with four tunnels stacked on top of each other due to the narrow width of the road. The construction of diaphragm walls, or peripheral walls, involves cutting through the soil, followed by the installation of steel reinforcement and concreting. Despite the typical completion time for such a station box technique ranging from nine to twelve months, officials anticipate an engineering challenge due to the rocky soil conditions.
The station will feature four levels, including a ticketing or concourse level, a level for commercial developments, and three platforms. Trains on the Madhavaram-Sipcot corridor-3 will operate on levels one and three, situated at 17 meters and 35 meters, respectively. Trains on the Lighthouse-Poonamallee corridor-4 will run on level two, at 24 meters. Once the station box is completed, tunneling work will commence, marking another significant milestone in the project’s progression.
Upon its completion, the station will offer a direct train route for commuters from Madhavaram, Purasaiwalkam, and the IT corridor on OMR to Mylapore. Additionally, as corridor-4 from Lighthouse to Poonamallee is expected to be extended to the planned greenfield airport at Parandur, commuters will have convenient access to Mylapore from the airport, further enhancing connectivity across key locations in the city.
