Phase II Chennai Metro Rail work under way. Image used for representational purposes
| Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam
The Tamil Nadu government will submit detailed project reports (DPR) of the Chennai Metro Rail lines between Airport to Kilambakkam, Koyambedu to Pattabiram via Avadi, and Poonamallee to Sunkuvarchatram via Sriperumbudur to the Union government for equity contribution, Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu said in the Assembly on Friday (March 14, 2025).
Also Read: Tamil Nadu Budget 2025 LIVE updates
Mr. Thennarasu, while presenting the Budget 2025-26, said the Airport-Kilambakkam corridor extends for 15.46 km and its estimated cost is ₹9,335 crore. For the 21.76-km-long Koyambedu to Pattabiram via Avadi corridor, the project cost is ₹9,744 crore, whereas for the Poonamallee to Sunkuvarchatram via Sriperumbudur corridor, whose length is 27.9 km, the cost estimate stands at ₹8,779 crore.
As the next step, Chennai Metro Rail will prepare a detailed project report for Tambaram to Velachery stretch via Guindy, which runs for 21 km, and for the 6-km stretch between Light House and High Court.
The State government will also explore a Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) system for three stretches in the State. Following the model of New Delhi-Meerut Semi High-Speed Railway, Chennai Metro Rail will carry out detailed feasibility studies. The stretches considered include Chennai-Chengalpattu-Tindivanam-Villupuram (167 km), Chennai-Kanchipuram-Vellore (140 km), and Coimbatore-Tiruppur-Erode-Salem (185 km).
Mr. Thennarasu said the work on the ₹63,246-crore Phase II project is progressing, and the Poonamallee to Porur corridor will be opened in December this year.
DPRs for metro rail systems in other cities
DPRs for the Avinashi Road-Sathyamangalam Road Metro Rail corridor in Coimbatore, which will be implemented at ₹10,740 crore, and the Thirumangalam-Othakadai Metro Rail corridor in Madurai, which will come up at ₹11,368 crore, will also be submitted to the Union government, the Finance Minister said. He also said the government plans to begin work on these two projects as soon as the approval is given.
Chennai Metro Rail will also take up feasibility studies for high-altitude transport systems, like ropeways in Mamallapuram, Udhagamandalam, and Kodaikanal, in a bid to enhance tourism, taking into account the sensitive micro-environmental ecosystems of these areas.
Published – March 14, 2025 03:10 pm IST
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