Chennai Metro News & Updates

Construction has begun on the re aligned section of Chennai Metro’s Corridor 5 between Madhavaram and Sholinganallur, close to Koyambedu. Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) redesigned this stretch to shorten the build programme, minimise land acquisition and better reflect current travel patterns long distance buses moved from the Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus to Kilambakkam.

Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has commenced construction on the reconfigured Metro corridor alignment near Koyambedu, implementing a strategic redesign finalised last year. The long-anticipated adjustment promises to enhance operational efficiency, minimise land acquisition, and support broader urban mobility objectives as part of Phase II’s Corridor 5 development.

Cehnnai Metro Completed our 10 years, on June 29, 2015, a new chapter in urban mobility began for Chennai when the first metro train between Alandur and Koyambedu was flagged off by then Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. So far, over 35 crore passengers have travelled on it. This number will significantly increase once Phase II is completed, which is expected in 2027.

The Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) is going to discontinue its stored value cards, also known as travel cards, from April, according to sources in the organisation. The decision comes after suspending issuance of new cards and top-ups at 11 metro stations from January.

The Chennai Metro Rail witnessed a decline of nearly 8% in the number of passengers in November as compared to October. There were 90,83,996 passengers in October, while it dropped to 83,61,492 in November. With Phase-I and Phase-II extension, the Chennai Metro now serves 54 km area of ​​the city and carries around 2.78 lakh passengers daily. In September and October, the metro served 3.09 lakh and 2.93 lakh passengers respectively. But in November, the number dropped to 2.78 lakh per day.

Chennai Metro Rail Limited temporarily suspends tunnelling near Kutchery Road due to gas leak. Officials say gas detectors detected small amounts of methane and carbon monoxide in the tunnel. They are pumping fresh air into the tunnel and are looking for the source of the leak in order to plug it.

As part of Mahalaxmi Yojana, the government is providing free travel in RTC buses to women. But Mahalakshmi had an impact on Hyderabad Metro. The number of female passengers in the metro is decreasing as women prefer to travel by bus. Chennai Metro officials revealed that the number of metro women passengers, which had crossed 5.5 lakh last year, is currently between 4.8 lakh to 4.9 lakh.

Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has received approval from the Ministry of Defence for a temporary road diversion proposal to facilitate the expansion of Chennai`s metro rail network. The proposal, which involves diverting traffic through Defence land, aims to accommodate construction activities for Phase 2 of Corridor-5 from Madhavaram to Sholinganallur.

Starting next year in Chennai Metro, LCD-based dynamic route map display system with multiple information will be introduced in Metrorail trains running in the 54 km network of Phase I and Phase I Extension project. The new digital display will show the current position of the train, next station, distance between stations and even nearby destinations.

According to Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) officials, the maps will be designed to provide as much information as possible to passengers. In each coach, there are four dynamic maps and four static maps. While static maps will continue to exist, dynamic maps will be replaced by these LED backlit LCD-based dynamic route map display systems. Apart from the current location and landmarks, it will also show which way the door will open.

Chennai Metro Rail adjusts its schedule on March 3, 2024, for Southern Railways line maintenance between Central and Tambaram. Trains will run every 7 minutes from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm, deviating from the usual Sunday schedule, ensuring efficient service amid increased passenger traffic.

Chennai Metro Rail work on a section of OMR from Sholinganallur to Siruseri in Chennai, where construction was halted for the last few months, will resume soon. The Phase II project which will pass through 116 km of the city will also cover the entire IT Expressway in Corridor 3, according to media reports. Although Chennai Metro Rail had awarded the contract to Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) in April 2023 to build nine stations in a 10-km stretch from Sholinganallur to SIPCOT, problems emerged late last year and the construction work was disrupted.

Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) on Wednesday floated a tender to prepare detailed project report for the lines, Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu announced in the Budget. Report will be prepared.

In January, Chennai Metro Rail Limited submitted a detailed feasibility report, proposing about 19 elevated stations from Poonamallee to Parandur via Thirumazhisai and Sriperumbudur, a distance of 43.63 km. This line will be constructed under Phase-2 of 26.1 km Lighthouse-Poonamallee Corridor.

Chennai Metro has recently partnered with ONDC Network's App, which now allows ONDC Network customers to book Chennai Metro tickets from home, along with other facilities like Rapido, Namma Yatri and RedBus, available on ONDC Network App. Are.

Chennai Metro Rail Corporation has recently launched three corridors - Madhavaram to SIPCOT (Corridor 3), Light House to Poonamallee (Corridor 4) under the Phase II project of Chennai Metro, 116 km long and costing Rs 61,843 crore. ), and Madhavaram to Sholinganallur (Corridor 5) is being constructed.

According to the Times of India, in Chennai Metro in January, 37.9 lakh people used their smartcards to travel the metro, 2.2 lakh people booked tickets online and received QR-code tickets, 25 lakh people used paper QR at stations. -Three lakh people purchased tickets through WhatsApp, 3.8 lakh people purchased using Paytm and around nine lakh people purchased using their Singara Chennai NCMC card.

An average of 2.73 lakh people traveled in metro trains every day in Chennai in January, taking the total footfall last month to 84.6 lakh. In which the maximum passenger traffic of 3.64 lakh was recorded on January 12. Experts attributed the high passenger numbers to the Pongal festival weekend, when people left the city for their hometowns or on holidays.

In view of the proposed construction work of Thousand Lights Metro Station at Whites Road of Chennai Metro, some road diversions have been implemented for a week, from Sunday to Saturday, from Pattulos Road-Whites Road Junction to Whites Road-Thiru Vee. Vehicles will not be allowed to enter the junction. Vehicles coming from Royapettah Tower Clock towards Anna Salai via Whites Road will be diverted to Pattullos Road at Pattullos Road-Whites Road junction.

In other changes to Chennai Metro's road route, vehicles coming from Anna Salai towards Smith Road will be restricted from turning right towards Satyam Cinemas at the Smith Road-White Road junction. Only one-way traffic will be allowed from Whites Road-Thiru Vee Ka Junction to Whites Road-Pattulos Road Junction.