Chennai Metro's TBM Nilagiri Achieves Breakthrough at Moolakadai

Chennai is building new underground train lines.

To make tunnels, workers use giant machines called tunnel boring machines, which dig slowly underground like big metal worms.

One of these machines is named Nilagiri.

On August 5, Nilagiri finished digging its tunnel and broke through to the Moolakadai station area.

It dug a tunnel that is 819 metres long, which is longer than eight football fields.

The tunnel runs between Madhavaram High Road and Moolakadai stations.

Digging there was very hard because the machine had to pass under a canal and a very busy road.

Workers also made sure people who used more than 14 borewells still had water by providing alternatives.

This was the 24th time a tunnel boring machine finished its job in the phase II metro project.

When it is finished, the new train line will help people travel around Chennai faster.