30 Metro Trains Ready for Porur-Poonamallee Route Launch

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi set to inaugurate the Porur-Poonamallee Metro rail service on October 11, 30 Metro trains have been kept ready for operation on the route, according to Chennai Metro Rail Limited Project Director T. Arjunan.

The Chennai Metro Rail Phase II project is being implemented to connect important parts of the city. As part of the project, the 14.6-km Vadapalani-Poonamallee corridor has been constructed with 14 Metro stations.

A safety inspection for operating Metro trains on the elevated corridor was conducted in February. Based on the inspection, permission was granted to operate trains on the route.

There had been questions from various quarters regarding the delay in starting Metro services between Vadapalani and Poonamallee despite the approval from the Commissioner of Railway Safety.

The Metro service between Vadapalani and Poonamallee is now scheduled to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 11. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and others are also expected to participate in the event.

According to Chennai Metro Rail Project Director T. Arjunan, the inauguration is scheduled around 11 AM on Sunday, October 11. The Prime Minister and the Chief Minister are expected to travel together in a special Metro train from Porur to Poonamallee before proceeding from Porur to the IIT Madras campus for the event.

The inauguration programme is planned to conclude between 11 AM and 12 noon.

Metro trains on the Vadapalani-Poonamallee route are planned to operate at an interval of 10 minutes. Based on this schedule, 15 trains would be sufficient for operations on the corridor. However, 30 Metro trains have been kept ready for operation on the route.