Chennai Metro Purple Line OMR: Latest Construction Updates

Chennai Metro Rail Limited has completed 100% of piling works—totaling 3,066 piles—between Nehru Nagar and Sholinganallur along Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) on Corridor 3. The project also achieved a perfect record in structural casting, completing all 582 precast prestressed U-Girders. This marks a decisive step forward in the Phase 2 expansion, yet the operational timeline has shifted from initial targets.

The 20-kilometer elevated line on OMR from Nehru Nagar to Siruseri Sipcot, originally slated to open by June 2026, is now expected to commence operations by December 2026. Revisions to the designs for the grade separators and the metro line at the Sholinganallur and Thoraipakkam junctions have resulted in a potential six-month delay, pushing the estimated completion date from June 2026 to December 2026. Despite this pushback, the Thoraipakkam and Sholinganallur junction required traffic navigating which was critical, with the requirement to integrate two metro stations through flyovers while managing uninterrupted traffic flow.

Chennai Metro Corridor 3, also known as Purple Line, has been planned under Phase 2 and is currently under construction. The corridor is a 45.8km stretch from Madhavaram to SIPCOT. It passes through Thiruvanmiyur, Perungudi, Thoraipakkam, Sholinganallur, Navalur, and Siruseri.

For property buyers and investors, the implications are significant. Current portal data places Perungudi at ₹10,980-11,250 per sq ft, Sholinganallur at around ₹8150 per sq ft, and Navalur within a broad ₹6000-8500 band. Perambur, sitting directly on the Purple Line corridor, posted a 35% year-on-year jump, the strongest in the city, which the report attributes to infrastructure upgrades and metro connectivity.

The Sholinganallur station, in particular, will serve as a critical interchange hub. Sholinganallur metro station is slated to be operational by March 2027, making it a key metro rail hub of South Chennai. The Chennai Metro Rail Limited is constructing an interchange station between corridors 3 and 5 at Sholinganallur, where as per the multi-layered structure, corridor 3 will be the lower level and corridor 5 will be on top.

The expanded Purple Line network promises to reshape commuter patterns across Chennai's IT corridor. Corridor 3 & Corridor 5 Phase 2 lines will eliminate peak hour traffic congestion along Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR). With structural work now firmly in place and the final operational push set for late 2026, the era of metro-connected OMR real estate is drawing near.