14.64 km Section of Chennai Metro Phase II in India Opens for Operation

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 11, the first operational section of Corridor 4 of Chennai Metro Phase II in Tamil Nadu, India, was officially opened. The line connects Poonamallee Bypass Station with Vadapalani Station, with a total length of 14.64 km and a total investment of approximately 49 billion rupees. Eleven elevated stations were opened in the first batch. Passenger services on this section began at 4:00 p.m. that day, making it the first section of the 118.9 km Chennai Metro Phase II expansion project to enter operation.

The newly opened section belongs to Corridor 4 of Chennai Metro Phase II. The line extends eastward from the Poonamallee area in the west and connects to Vadapalani Station via Porur, achieving interchange with the existing Phase I metro line. Seventeen stations are planned along this section, with 11 opened first this time. The remaining 6 stations are located on the double-deck elevated section between Porur Junction and Vadapalani, and trains will not stop there initially.

The line includes a double-deck elevated structure of approximately 3.7 km and is equipped with an automated signaling system suitable for unattended train operation. The newly commissioned trains have unattended driving design capability, but initially services are organized in automatic train operation mode, with staff on board to supervise operation, and have not yet fully entered the unattended operation stage.

On the first day of service on October 11, passenger service hours for the new line were from 16:00 to 21:00. From October 12 onward, operating hours were adjusted to 7:00 to 21:00 daily. During weekday peak hours, trains are planned to run every 10 minutes, and every 15 minutes during off-peak hours; on Sundays and public holidays, trains run at 15-minute intervals.

The Chennai Metro Phase II project was approved by the Indian central government in October 2024, with a total planned length of 118.9 km and 128 stations, including three corridors: Madhavaram—SIPCOT, Lighthouse—Poonamallee Bypass, and Madhavaram—Sholinganallur, with a total approved investment of approximately 632.46 billion rupees.