TN seeks Centre’s early nod for Metro Phase-II project

Delivering his customary New Year address to the State Assembly, Governor Banwarilal Purohit said that Chennai Metro Rail was quickly becoming the pride ofChennai City.

Phase-I of the Chennai Metro Rail extending to 45 km, was fully operational and the Phase-I extension up to Tiruvottiyur and Wimco Nagar will be completed by the middle of this year.

The government has already approved the implementation of three more Metro Rail corridors in Phase-II which will extend to 118.9 km, at an estimated cost of Rs 69,180 crore.

The Governor said that while JICA has agreed to fund a stretch of 52.01 km and the first tranche of the loan agreement has been signed, multilateral assistance from the Asian Development Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the New Development Bank was being availed for the remaining stretches under Phase-II.

‘’I urge the Centre to accord early approval for their participation in the Phase-II project on the 50:50 equity sharing model adopted for Phase-I’,” Purohit said.

Based on a feasibility study, the government has decided to extend the Metro Rail Corridor by 15.3 km from the Chennai Airport to Kelambakkam, where a new mofussil bus stand was coming up,he added.

To address increasing traffic congestion on the Tambaram-Velachery Corridor, the government will establish a rail-based transit system for 15.5 km and Chennai Metro Rail Limited would prepare the Detailed Feasibility and Project Report, theGovernor said.