CHENNAI: The Commissioner of Railway Safety AM Choudhary will conduct a high-speed trial run and safety inspection on the Velachery-St Thomas Mount MRTS section on February 24, followed by a second round of inspection on Metro Rail’s Porur-Vadapalani stretch on February 25.
As part of pre-commissioning checks, two freight trains with 10 coaches each were operated between Velachery and St Thomas Mount to test the track and structures.
A team led by the Commissioner will inspect track quality, structural stability, signalling systems and passenger amenities at stations before the high-speed trial run. Clearance from the safety commissioner is mandatory before passenger services can begin on the new MRTS section.
Railway officials said the completion of the Adambakkam-St Thomas Mount elevated link would improve connectivity for commuters and enable additional EMU services once passenger operations commence. Suburban rail patronage on the corridor is expected to rise by up to 20% after the link becomes operational.
The Chennai Beach-Velachery MRTS corridor currently operates about 100 EMU services daily, carrying over one lakh passengers. The 5-km elevated rail project to connect Velachery with St Thomas Mount began in 2008 but was stalled for several years due to land acquisition issues in Adambakkam and Thillai Ganga Nagar. Construction resumed after 2022, and the long-pending link has now been completed after 17 years.
Sources in CMRL said that the second inspection was tentatively scheduled for February 25. An official said that a compliance report would be submitted, and that the second round of inspection depended on the receipt of an independent safety audit being carried out by a France-based firm, the report of which is expected in a day or two.
After obtaining clearance, CMR plans to open the first stretch of Phase II from Poonamallee to Vadapalani via Porur later this month.