CHENNAI: As a significant step to begin phase II Metro Rail operations from Poonamallee to Vadapalani, the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CMRS) is set to conduct a three-day inspection from February 11.
As per official sources, technical parameters will be inspected on the first two days and a speed test on the third day.
Following the inspection by the CMRS, the report will be forwarded to the Railway Board, which will issue formal authorisation to begin operations for passengers. As far as inauguration is concerned, both the State and Union governments will announce a date, which is likely to be at the end of February.
Meanwhile, the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has already secured a speed certificate from the Railway Board in late January. Prior to this, signalling, rolling stock inspection and other necessary requirements and approvals have been received by CMRL in December.
In operations, a driverless Metro Rail service from Poonamallee to Vadapalani will be operated for the public under corridor 4, as part of Poonamallee to Light House stretch of 26 km. The trains will halt at 10 stations between Poonamallee Bypass to Porur – Poonamallee Bypass, Poonamallee, Mullaithottam, Karayanchavadi, Kumananchavadi, Kattupakkam, Iyyappanthangal, Thelliyaragaram, Porur Bypass and Porur Junction. And, from Porur, the train will halt only at Vadapalani station, bypassing six stations in between.
From Vadapalani, passengers can disembark the train, walk on the foot-over-bridge (FoB) ‘skywalk’ to connect to the existing phase 1 Vadapalani Metro station. Also, passengers can use the Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) gates of phase 1 station, until new AFC gates are installed in the new Vadapalani station.