URC Begins Chennai Metro Line-3 UG-03’s Work at Thousand Lights

Starting with the Thousand Lights Crossover, URC Construction on Sunday officially started construction work on Chennai Metro Line-3’s Package UG-03 connecting KMC – Royapettah.

URCC, working on a subcontract from Rail Vikas Nigam (RVNL), started grabbing and trenching works to construct the diaphragm wall (D-wall) for one of the line’s many underground crossover facilities to allow 3-coach trains, which are currently being procured through ARE02A and ARE04A, to switch tracks between the up-line and down-line.

This underground crossover of the 116.1 km Phase 2 project by Chennai Metro Rail Ltd. (CMRL) is located just south of the operational Blue Line’s Thousand Lights Station (view on Google Maps).

CMRL had awarded Package UG03-RT01’s Rs. 1328.89 crore contract to RVNL in July 2023 with a 1725 day (4.7 year) deadline. They in turn subcontracted out its construction work to URC Construction for an undisclosed amount.

This package includes entire civil work at 5 stations and partial works at 2 stations. The new station-box at KMC (Kilpauk) will form an interchange with 22 km Green Line (Line-2) which connects Chennai Central and St. Thomas Mount, while a new station box at Thousand Lights will form an interchange with 23.10 km Blue Line (Line-1) which connects Chennai Airport and Wimco Nagar.

Brief Scope: Construction of five (05) underground stations at KMC, Sterling Road Junction, Nangambakkam, Gemini, Thousand Lights and Thousand Lights Crossover and works other than diaphragm wall of two underground stations at Royapettah Govt. Hospital & Chetpet Metro

RVNL had won 3 station packages (UG-3-RT01, UG-4-RT01, UG-5RT01) with a total of 16 stations between KMC – Taramani Road Junction. Larsen & Toubro started tunneling work to connect them in February 2023.

I hear similar trenching and grabbing works are planned to start next at Thousand Lights Station, north of the crossover, on April 4 followed by Kilpauk Station on April 8.

Here’s my go-to video to demonstrate how D-walls are built to form the boundary wall of station boxes and cut & cover tunnels:

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– TMRG