After more than three years of non-stop construction activity, work on Chennai Metro Rail has arrived at Koyambedu. The structures of two metro stations — CMBT and Koyambedu — are now complete.
Part of the elevated stretch of corridor II, which runs from Chennai Central to St. Thomas Mount, the CMBT station is located close to the Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus, where bus services from Chennai to other towns and cities culminate.
The Koyambedu station, the terminal point of the Metro Rail service, is further up. A giant structure, which is to house the station, stands tall near the bus terminus with a track curving into it.
“We are simultaneously focussing on the track-laying work. We have covered 3.8 km each on the two lines between Vadapalani and Koyambedu so far,” said an official of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL).
According to CMRL sources, the physical construction of the structures is complete at both these stations. Work on the interiors is apace at CMBT, with Koyambedu following suit, officials said. The Ashok Nagar station, also along the same line, stands third in terms of completion of construction of the station. The 11-km stretch, said to be operational by the first quarter of 2014, covers eight stations from St. Thomas Mount to Koyambedu, where Metro Rail’s depot is coming up at a cost of Rs. 198.10 crore. Construction of the elevated stretch is being executed by Consolidated Construction Consortium.
Construction is less complicated
CMBT and Koyambedu are two stations off the main road, and their construction, according to the consultants engaged in the project, is straightforward compared to that of other stations on the stretch which are by the road, largely on Jawaharlal Nehru Salai. Typically, a station along the elevated stretch will have the concourse at a height of about 6 metres, where passengers can purchase their tickets. A further 5 metres up, the Metro Rail tracks will run. The area up to the concourse level is a non-paid area, but a passenger intending to proceed to the next level needs a ticket to pass through the security-clearance zone and take either the staircase, the escalator or the elevator to the next floor, sources said.
Model coach at Chennai Port
Meanwhile, the first model coach of Chennai Metro Rail, which was manufactured in Brazil, waits at the Chennai Port for customs clearance, before it can go to Sri City, a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) near Tada, about 60 km north of Chennai, in Andhra Pradesh.
According to CMRL sources, they hope to have a trial run of Metro Rail by the end of 2013 so that it can get operational in the first quarter of 2014.
