Central to airport Metro one step away from going live

Though the Chennai Metro Rail Ltd (CMRL) has not officially stated the stretch to be inspected by CMRS K A Manoharan, it has been reliably learnt that the inspection would cover the section from Nehru Park to Chennai Central and Little Mount to AG-DMS, which have been undertaking trial run for months now.

The inspection, which could last a few days, would be the last step before Anna Salai and Chennai Central get airport connectivity. Despite completing Nehru Park – Chennai Central stretch weeks ago, CMRL had delayed the inspection as it waited for the completion of the Little Mount – DMS section, which is over now.

CMRL officials said on condition anonymity that the inspection would get over before the next weekend, and commercial run on the two stretches, which would extend metro connectivity from airport to Anna Salai and Chennai Central, would begin later this month. As the project is nearing completion, many here believe Prime Minister Narendra Modi would inaugurate the Chennai Central metro station. Currently operational till Nehru Park from St Thomas Mount, trial on the 2.7km stretch comprising three stations (Nehru Park, Egmore and Central) began in the last week of January, while trial on 3.3km Saidpet-DMS section was started in the middle of March. Once the service is extended up to Chennai Central, train frequency on Shenoy Nagar –Alandur route via Koyambedu could be increased from seven to five minutes during peak hours and 20 minutes during non-peak hours, as CMRL would not have crossover problem beyond Shenoy Nagar.

Beyond Koyambedu till Nehru Park, CMRL has been unable to increase frequency of trains as only one has been kept operational between Shenoy Nagar and Nehru Park for want of facility for trains to shift tracks.