Phase 2 of the Chennai metro project, which is being constructed on the Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR), is planned with provisions for East Coast Road (ECR) development in the future.
As per a report by The Times of India, keeping the future development in mind, officials have begun construction of pillars and a nearly 200-meter-long viaduct on Kalinagar Karunanidhi Salai which will link OMR with ECR.
It is an expansion of Sholinganallur’s elevated line. As Sholinganallur will serve as an interchange between corridors 3 and 5, the short extension line on the road connecting OMR and ECR will also be helpful in trains switching routes.
A Chennai Metro Rail Ltd. (CMRL) official told TOI, “In the future if a 1km-2km extension to ECR is required, we may simply expand the line we are building on Kalinagar Karunanidhi Salai. It is being built with a length of about two metro trains, each approximately 80 meters long. We can also use the short line to reverse our trains and switch lines.”
The report also suggests that some of the key lines on the Chennai Metrorail phase-2 project might be delayed due to problems with land acquisition, traffic diversion and floating tenders. The 20-kilometer elevated line on the OMR from Nehru Nagar to Siruseri Sipcot is now likely to open in December 2026. According to officials, the line may be delayed by six months due to ongoing land acquisition, station entry/exit and parking, traffic diversion and junction design at Sholinganallur and Thoraipakkam.
The authorities are constructing two grade separators at Sholinganallur and Thoraipakkam, the report further added. The line, which would connect the IT corridor on OMR with nine elevated stations, is part of a 45.4-kilometer corridor that runs from Madhavaram Milk Colony to Siruseri Sipcot. The OMR line previously had a June 2026 deadline.
The OMR line was split into two sections and two construction contracts were given. While development from Nehru Nagar to Sholinganallur is now underway, the stretch from Sholinganallur to Siruseri Sipcot faces difficulties. In addition, the CMRL is making structural changes to the Koyambedu Phase-2 station to build more platforms for the Avadi extension.
The Chennai Metro Rail has planned a 16.07 km elevated line to Avadi at an estimated cost of Rs 6,376.18 crore, which would be an extension of the 44.6-kilometer corridor- 5 from Madhavaram Milk Colony to Sholinganallur.
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