CHENNAI: A total of 25,474 passengers travelled on the newly inaugurated Yellow Line of Chennai Metro Rail’s Phase II on Sunday. The ridership was achieved in just five hours of service on the first day of regular passenger services on the Poonamallee Bypass–Vadapalani stretch.

The 14.64-km elevated corridor, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, began commercial operations at 4 pm on the same day. The service attracted commuters seeking a faster alternative to road travel across Chennai’s western suburbs.

The new stretch, part of Corridor 4 of Phase II, has 11 stations connecting Poonamallee Bypass with Vadapalani through residential and commercial neighbourhoods, including Porur, Kattupakkam and Iyyappanthangal. The station between Porur and Vadapalani are not yet operational.

At Vadapalani, passengers can interchange with the existing Phase I Metro network to travel to other parts of the city.

The corridor was constructed at a cost of approximately Rs 4,900 crore and is expected to improve connectivity along the western suburbs, where commuters frequently face traffic congestion.

Regular services on the stretch began at 7 am on Monday and will operate until 9 p.; trains will run every ten minutes during peak hours, from 8 am to 11 am and 5 pm to 8 pm, from Monday to Saturday. During non-peak hours, the frequency is 15 minutes.

On Sundays and public holidays, trains will operate at 15-minute intervals throughout the day.

Although the corridor has been designed for unattended train operation, trains will initially run with two operators on board. Full driverless operations are expected by mid-2027, following testing and safety certification.