Full Breakdown
Chennai Metro Construction Site Linked to Sinkhole That Swallowed Car
By Drooid · · How we work
Incident Overview
On Thursday morning a section of Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) near Tidel Park collapsed, forming a roughly 10-foot-deep sinkhole that swallowed a white SUV. The vehicle’s driver, Praveen, and a passenger escaped unharmed after the car overturned and fell into the crater. Police confirmed both occupants were safe. The collapse occurred close to an underground metro-rail construction zone where tunnel-boring machine (TBM) Bhavani was operating as part of Phase-2 Corridor-3.
Background: Metro Expansion and Prior Road Collapse
The sinkhole appeared about 30 metres from a shaft where CMRL (Chennai Metro Rail Limited) is building an underground station. Officials noted that all underground utilities in the vicinity had been shifted ahead of the metro work, making a water-pipeline rupture unlikely. However, they acknowledged that the operation of the TBM or other underground activities could have caused land subsidence. A similar incident occurred in May 2025 near Thiruvanmiyur Junction on OMR when an ageing sewage pipeline failed, creating a six-foot crater that injured five people.
Official Statements & Responses
CMRL issued a statement confirming the sinkhole’s proximity to the metro shaft and that backfilling with concrete was underway. The agency also announced a technical enquiry into the incident. Local officials emphasized that the utilities had been relocated, reducing the likelihood of a pipeline rupture, and suggested the TBM’s activity as a possible factor. Traffic police redirected vehicles away from the affected stretch, diverting all but two-wheelers via Indira Nagar Junction toward Indira Nagar Water Tank Road to alleviate congestion.
Traffic Impact and Safety Measures
The sudden road failure caused a major traffic snarl between the Tidel Park signal and Taramani, with vehicles moving at a snail’s pace. Motorists were instructed to use alternate routes, and the lifted vehicle was removed later in the afternoon. CMRL’s ongoing concrete backfill aims to restore road stability and prevent further disruptions.
Verbatim Quote
> “Traffic congestion is already a daily ordeal on this stretch. The sudden appearance of this crater only made matters worse,” — Adyar resident Navneeth