HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Chennai Metro is a
rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be c ...
system serving the city of
Chennai, Tamil Nadu Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Tamil Nadu, the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and territories of India, Indian state. The largest city ...
, India. It is the 4th longest metro system In india. The system commenced service in 2015 after partially opening the first phase of the project. The network consists of two colour-coded lines covering a length of . The Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), a joint venture between
Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...
and the
Government of Tamil Nadu Government of Tamil Nadu is the subnational government for the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is seated at Fort St George, Chennai. The legislature of Tamil Nadu was bicameral until 1986, when it was replaced by a unicameral legislature, lik ...
built and operates the Chennai Metro. The system has a mix of underground and elevated stations and uses
standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in Ea ...
. The services operate daily between 4:30 and 23:00 with a varying frequency of 5 to 14 minutes.


History


Background

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
had an established
Chennai Suburban Railway The Chennai Suburban Railway is a commuter rail system in the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, operated by the Southern Railways branch of Indian Railways. It is the second largest suburban rail network in terms of route length and the third ...
network that spanned from
Beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shel ...
to
Tambaram Tambaram is a southern suburb of Chennai, India. Located in the Chengalpattu district of Tamil Nadu, it is governed by Tambaram City Municipal Corporation and is a part of the Chennai Metropolitan Area. Etymology Tambaram is an ancient town ...
, which dates back to 1931 and operated on a
metre-gauge Metre-gauge railways are narrow-gauge railways with track gauge of or 1 metre. The metre gauge is used in around of tracks around the world. It was used by European colonial powers, such as the French, British and German Empires. In Europe, la ...
line. This service is now being continued after conversion to
broad gauge A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways. Broad gauge of , commonly known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union (CIS ...
line up to
Chengalpattu Chengalpattu, previously known as Chingleput, is a city and the headquarters of Chengalpattu district of the state Tamil Nadu, India. The town is located near to the industrial and IT hub. It is the headquarters of the district and is away fro ...
. The suburban network also consists of two more suburban lines, the west bound Dr. M.G.R. Central
Arakkonam Arakkonam () is a railway town and suburb of Chennai within Chennai Metropolitan Area limit, in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, with a population of 78,395 per the census 2011. It is in the newly created Ranipet district, about from Ranipet ...
suburban service and the north bound Dr. M.G.R. CentralGummidipoondi. The first phase of
Chennai Mass Rapid Transit System The Chennai Mass Rapid Transit System, a state-owned subsidiary of Indian Railways, is a metropolitan elevated railway line in Chennai, India. Operated by the Southern Railways, it is the first elevated railway line in India and also the coun ...
, India's first elevated line between Chennai Beach and
Thirumayilai Mylapore, also spelt Mayilapur, is a neighbourhood in the central part of the city of Chennai, India. It is one of the oldest residential parts of the city. It is also called Tirumayilai. The locality is claimed to be the birthplace of the cel ...
opened in 1995 with an extension to
Velachery Velachery (''pronounced as'' veh·luh·cheh·ree) is a commercial and residential area in south Chennai, and is the largest commercial centre in south Chennai. It is surrounded by Guindy in the north, IIT Madras in the north-east, Taramani in ...
in 2007. Modeled after the
Delhi Metro The Delhi Metro is a mass rapid transit (MRT) system serving Delhi and its satellite cities of Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Gurgaon, Noida, Bahadurgarh and Ballabhgarh, in the National Capital Region of India. The network consists of 10 colour-cod ...
, a similar modern metro rail system was planned for Chennai by Delhi Metro chief E Sreedharan due to his special interest in the Chennai city.


Network


Chennai Metro Lines


Blue Line

The Blue Line or Line 1 is a operational line which stretches from Chennai International Airport to Wimco Nagar Depot. The line consists of 26 stations out of which 13 stations are underground and 13 stations are elevated.


Inter Corridor Line

The Inter Corridor Line is a operational line which stretches from Chennai Central to Chennai International Airport. The line consists of 14 stations out of which 8 stations are underground and 6 stations are elevated.


Green Line

The Green Line or Line 2 is a operational line which stretches from Chennai Central to St. Thomas Mount. Out of the 18 stations, 9 stations are underground and 9 are elevated.


Purple Line

Purple or Line 3 is under construction line, it stretches from Madhavaram Milk Colony to Siruseri Sipcot 2. The line will consist of 50 stations, out of which 30 are underground and 20 are elevated.


Orange Line

Orange Line or Line 4 is under construction line which stretches from Light House to Poonamallee Bypass. The line will consist of 30 stations, out of which 12 are underground and 18 are elevated.


Red Line

Red Line or Line 5 part of phase II is under construction line stretches from Madhavaram Milk Colony to Sholinganallur. The line will consist of 48 stations, out of which 6 are underground, 1 at grade and 41 are elevated.


Phase 1


Planning

In 2007–08, was sanctioned for preliminary work, which included a Detailed Project Report to be prepared by the
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited (DMRC) is a centre-state joint venture that operates the Delhi Metro. The DMRC is also involved in the planning and implementation of metro rail, monorail, and high-speed rail projects in India and abroad. T ...
. The project was approved by the state cabinet on 7 November 2007 and was to be executed by a Special Purpose Vehicle, the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) covering two lines for 45 km with 24 km being underground. Seven lines were planned by the DMRC for the Chennai Metro network. Planning commission gave in-principle approval for the project on 16 April 2008. On 21 November 2009, a deal was signed with the Japan Banking Corporation for a loan.


Construction and Commencement of services

In February 2009, Hyderabad-based Soma Enterprise was awarded a contract for the construction of a long viaduct along the Inner Ring Road. The construction started on 10 June 2009 with the
piling A deep foundation is a type of foundation that transfers building loads to the earth farther down from the surface than a shallow foundation does to a subsurface layer or a range of depths. A pile or piling is a vertical structural element ...
work for the elevated viaduct between
Koyambedu Koyambedu is a neighbourhood in Chennai, India. Situated in the western part of Chennai city, the Koyambedu area has become a major hub of activity in Chennai City after the inauguration of the Koyambedu market in 1996 and the Chennai Mofussil ...
and Ashok Nagar stretch. In January 2011,
Larsen and Toubro Larsen & Toubro Ltd, commonly known as L&T, is an Indian multinational conglomerate company, with business interests in engineering, construction, manufacturing, technology, information technology and financial services, headquartered in Mumba ...
was awarded the contract for elevated viaducts and a depot at Koyambedu for . In March 2011, Chennai Metro reached an agreement with the
Government of Japan The Government of Japan consists of legislative, executive and judiciary branches and is based on popular sovereignty. The Government runs under the framework established by the Constitution of Japan, adopted in 1947. It is a unitary state, c ...
for a loan of for the second phase. In June, tenders for the elevated stations of the first phase were awarded to Consolidated Construction Consortium Limited. In August 2010, the contract for supplying rolling stock was awarded to
Alstom Alstom SA is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer operating worldwide in rail transport markets, active in the fields of passenger transportation, signalling, and locomotives, with products including the AGV, TGV, Eurostar, Avelia ...
at a cost of . In December 2010, DMRC submitted a report for extending Corridor-I from Washemenpet to Wimco Nagar, a distance of at an estimated cost of . In January 2011, a contract for design and construction of track works was awarded to a joint venture of L&T and Alstom and a contract for supply of lifts and escalators was awarded to a joint venture of Johnson Lifts and SJEC Corporation. In February 2011, contracts were awarded for the construction of underground sections of the first phase. The contract for power supply and overhead electrification was awarded to
Siemens Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational conglomerate corporation and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe headquartered in Munich with branch offices abroad. The principal divisions of the corporation are ''Industry'', '' ...
for . Contracts for automatic fare collection (AFC), tunnel ventilation and air conditioning were awarded to Nippon Signal, Emirates Trading Agency and
Voltas Voltas Limited is an Indian  multinational home appliances and consumer electronics company headquartered in Mumbai. It designs, develops, manufactures and sells products including air conditioners, air coolers, refrigerators, washing mac ...
for , and . In July 2012, the first
tunnel boring machine A tunnel boring machine (TBM), also known as a "mole", is a machine used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section through a variety of soil and rock strata. They may also be used for microtunneling. They can be designed to bore throu ...
was launched and by October 2012, eleven machines were commissioned to bore tunnels along the underground stretch by three consortiums, namely Afcons-Transtonnelstroy, L&T and SUCG,
Gammon India Gammon India Limited is one of the largest civil engineering construction companies in India. Headquartered in Mumbai, it was founded in 1922 by John C. Gammon. Notable projects Gammon India has executed some notable civil engineering project ...
and
Mosmetrostroy OJSC Mosmetrostroy ( rus, Мосметрострой, abbr. of "Moscow Metro Construction epartment) is a major Russian construction company, which deals with solving engineering problems related to performance of a wide range of under and above ...
involved in the construction. On 6 November 2013, the test run along a stretch of track was conducted. On 14 February 2014, the maiden trial run for the metro was conducted between the Koyambedu and Ashok Nagar stations. In August 2014, the metro received the statutory speed certification clearance from the
Research Design and Standards Organisation The Research Designs & Standards Organisation (RDSO) is an ISO 9001 R&D, research and development organisation under the Ministry of Railways (India), Ministry of Railways of government of India, which functions as a technical adviser and consulta ...
. In January 2015, a report was submitted to the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety for approval. In April 2015, the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety inspected the rolling stock and submitted a report to the Railway Board. On 29 June 2015, commercial operations started between Alandur and Koyambedu stations and almost a year later, on 21 September 2016, commercial operations commenced between
Chennai International Airport metro station The Chennai International Airport Metro Station is a metro railway station on the Blue Line of the Chennai Metro. The station serves the Chennai International Airport and the neighbourhoods of Meenambakkam, Tirusulam, Pallavaram and Pammal. ...
and Little Mount by the then Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa. Commercial operations commenced in the first underground line between
Thirumangalam metro station Thirumangalam metro station is a Metro railway station on the Line 2 of the Chennai Metro. The station is among the underground stations coming up along corridor II of the Chennai Metro through Anna Nagar stretch. The station will serve the ne ...
to
Nehru Park metro station Nehru Park Metro station is a Metro railway station on Line 2 of the Chennai Metro. The station is among the underground stations coming up along corridor II of the Chennai Metro, Chennai Central–St. Thomas Mount stretch inaugurated on 14 Ma ...
on 14 May 2017 and the underground stretches –
Nehru Park metro station Nehru Park Metro station is a Metro railway station on Line 2 of the Chennai Metro. The station is among the underground stations coming up along corridor II of the Chennai Metro, Chennai Central–St. Thomas Mount stretch inaugurated on 14 Ma ...
to
Chennai Central metro station Central Metro, officially Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central metro station, is an underground metro station in Chennai, India. It serves both lines of the Chennai Metro.. Central metro station is spread over an area of . On 31 Ju ...
and Saidapet metro station to AG-DMS metro station were opened a year later on 25 May 2018 by the then Chief Minister
Edappadi K. Palaniswami Edappadi K. Palaniswami (born 12 May 1954), also known as E.P.S., is an Indian politician and the leader of opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. He served as the 7th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, from 2017 to 2021. He has been th ...
. On 10 February 2019, the underground stretch from AG-DMS to
Washermanpet Vannarapettai (English: Washermenpet) is a northern neighbourhood of Chennai, India. It is also known as Pazhaya Vannarapettai (English: Old Washermenpet), sometimes shortened as Vannai. It is located north of Parrys Corner and adjacent to R ...
of blue line was opened by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament from ...
, completing phase 1 of the metro.


Phase 1: Extension

The government planned a northern extension of the Blue Line running from Washermanpet metro station to Wimco Nagar. The line runs underground for the first until Tondiarpet after which it becomes elevated along the Thiruvottriyur high road and consists of a total of nine stations. Construction started in July 2016 after approval by the Central government. The trial runs were conducted successfully in December 2020 and the line opened for passenger traffic on 14 February 2021 by Prime minister
Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament from ...
. This increased the length of the whole metro system to .


Tunneling

Tunnels for the Chennai Metro were drilled using
Tunnel boring machines A tunnel boring machine (TBM), also known as a "mole", is a machine used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section through a variety of soil and rock strata. They may also be used for microtunneling. They can be designed to bore throu ...
(TBMs) brought from Russia and China. In December 2011, two TBMs were shipped to Chennai from China. A total of 12 TBMs were deployed from July 2012, 8 from Germany, 2 from China, and 1 each from the United States and Japan. The first tunnel work commenced in July 2012 from Nehru Park to Egmore for a distance of 948 meters. By December 2017, upon completion of the tunneling work of the Chennai Metro, all the machines were shipped backed to their origin countries. Each TBM weighed 850 tonnes and was able to drill hard surfaces, creating tunnel passages to connect underground stations. The length of the TBMs was about 85 to 90 meters. Tunnels were bored 50 feet below the surface, and each kilometer of tunneling cost 3,000 million. The average length of tunneling was 6 to 8 meters a day.


Financials

When the project was initiated in 2007, the estimated cost of the first phase was with a forecasted 5% increase. As of 2014, the cost for the first phase escalated to . The phase 1 extension costed 3,770 crores with 60 percent funded by JICA.


Phase 2


Planning & Constructions

E. Sreedharan Elattuvalapil Sreedharan (born 12 June 1930) is an Indian engineer and politician from the Indian state of Kerala. He is credited with changing the face of public transport in India with his leadership in building the Konkan Railway and the De ...
, in 2013, stressed on the need of a greater expansion of Chennai metro network by undertaking subsequent phases. In July 2016, the then Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa announced that Chennai Metro Phase 2 would be 104 km long and have 104 stations. In July 2017, in a suo motu statement in the State Legislative Assembly, an extension in Phase II, involving an extension of Line 4 from
Lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...
up to
Poonamallee Poonamallee is suburb of Chennai, India under the Chennai Metropolitan Area. It was historically called ''Pushpagirimangalam'', later renamed in Tamil as ''Poovirundhavalli'' (), and now colloquially called as ''Poondhamalli''. It is a town in ...
, with the
Madhavaram Madhavaram may refer to: Places in South India Andhra Pradesh * Madhavaram, Kukkunoor, a village in Kukkunoor Taluk, Eluru district * Madhavaram, Tadepalligudem, a village in Tadepalligudem mandal Tadepalligudem mandal is one of the 19 mand ...
Sholinganallur Sholinganallur, also spelled Solinganalloor or Sozhinganalloor, is a locality in the southern part of Chennai, India. Etymology The etymology given by Tamil scholars is "chola" + "angam" + "nallur" , which indicates that Sholinganallur was on ...
and Lighthouse–Poonamallee lines intersecting at Alwarthirunagar was announced, making Phase 2 118.91 km long. The key focus for Phase 2 is to connect the northern (Madhavaram, Thiruvottriyur, Redhills) and southern parts (Siruseri, Sholinganallur) and the east parts of Chennai (Light house, Mylapore) to the western parts of Chennai (Porur, Poonamallee). Tamil Nadu Road Development Corporation (TNRDC) has also proposed an elevated four-lane corridor for the IT corridor from Taramani to Siruseri. CMRL will construct its piers on top of the flyover built by TNRDC. The lines 3, 4 and 5 are proposed to have underground and elevated routes. The present estimate for the phase 2 stands at 61,000 crore and approval has been received from the state government. Foundation stone for phase 2 was laid on 20 November 2020 by Union Home Minister
Amit Shah Amit Anil Chandra Shah (born 22 October 1964) is an Indian politician currently serving as the Minister of Home Affairs since 2019 and the first Minister of Co-operation of India since 2021. He served as the President of the Bharatiya Janata P ...
and construction commenced on 1 June 2021. The construction work for certain sections of the second phase of Chennai Metro Rail project is hit due to delay in the selection of the general consultant (GC) after concerns were raised by more than 50% of bidders on the CMRL shortlisting companies based on their technical qualifications. Addressing an event in Chennai, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday 14 February 2021 said the Centre has set aside 63,000 crore in this year’s Budget for the second phase of Chennai Metro totaling 119 km, which is one of the largest projects sanctioned for any city in one-go. The map and list of stations for all 3 proposed lines to be part of Phase 2 has also been published by CMRL. Phase 2 will have trains with three and six coaches, making a total of 414 coaches. The stations in phase II will be smaller at compared with in phase I. Phase II will have three depots, namely, Madhavaram (27.8 hectares), SIPCOT (), and Poonamallee ().


Phase 2 Extenstions


Financials

The cost for the second phase was estimated at with the project funded by the government and the lending agencies. JICA has sanctioned concessional loan amounts of for the project. Phase 2 is to be funded partially by JICA, AIIB, ADB and NDB. Further the blue line extension from Airport to kilambakkam is estimated at .


Future Expansion Plans


MRTS Takeover

The 25 km long
Chennai Mass Rapid Transit System The Chennai Mass Rapid Transit System, a state-owned subsidiary of Indian Railways, is a metropolitan elevated railway line in Chennai, India. Operated by the Southern Railways, it is the first elevated railway line in India and also the coun ...
is likely to be handed over to CMRL by the Southern Railway. The entire system from Mount–Velachery–Beach will be upgraded as a broad gauge metro with all the facilities of the metro stations which includes tracks, security, ticketing system and the rolling stock (Air conditioned). On 11 May 2022, Southern Railway granted in-principle approval for the Chennai Metro to takeover the MRTS.


Chennai Metro Extension & Expansion

List of projects that the CMRL holds for future development in Chennai include Chennai Metrolite, Chennai Metro phase 1 southern extension, construction of Central Square, various commercial complexes and multi-storied buildings along CMRL's land, construction of metro depots. Chennai Metro phase 3 as envisaged in the Chennai Comprehensive Mobility Plan, and so forth.


Metro Plans in Other Cities in Tamil Nadu

Projects that CMRL holds for future development in Tamil Nadu include
Coimbatore Metro Coimbatore Metro, also known as Kovai Metro, is a proposed rapid transit system for Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. History The Central Government proposed a metro rail system for 16 tier-2 cities in India including Coimbatore in 2010. While the Gove ...
, Tiruchirapalli Metro, Madurai Metro, Salem Metro, Tirunelveli Metro and
Hosur Metro Hosur is an industrial city located in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Hosur is one of the municipal corporations in Tamil Nadu. It is located on the bank of the river River Ponnaiyar, southeast of Bengaluru and west of Chennai, the state ...
(
Namma Metro Namma Metro ("Our Metro" in Kannada), also known as Bengaluru Metro, is a rapid transit system serving the city of Bengaluru, India. Upon its inauguration, it became the first underground metro system in South India. Namma Metro has a mix of u ...
Yellow Line Extension)


Operations

Chennai Metro runs in standard gauge measuring and the lines are double-tracked. The rail tracks were manufactured in
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
and the raw material was supplied by
Tata Steel Tata Steel Limited is an Indian multinational steel-making company, based in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand and headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is a part of the Tata Group. Formerly known as Tata Iron and Steel Company Limited (TISCO), Tata ...
. The average speed of operation is and maximum speed is . Chennai Metro operates trains from 4:30 AM to 11:00 PM with a frequency of one train every 4.5 minutes in peak hours and every 15 minutes in lean hours. CMRL plans to increase the frequency to one train every 2.5 minutes once footfalls reach 600,000 passengers a day.


Ticketing

The minimum fare is 10 and the maximum fare is 50. There are four types of tickets issued by CMRL for travel in Chennai metro. They are 1. Single journey tokens, which need to be purchased each time for every journey at the ticket counter or in ticket vending machines available at all stations. The rates vary between ₹10 and ₹60 for one journey. Alternatively, single and return journey tickets can be bought through the CMRL app with QR code ticket scanners at stations. 2. Stored value cards (SVC) are pre-paid, rechargeable, travel cards that can be purchased at any ticket counter against a refundable deposit of ₹50. They can be recharged up to a maximum of ₹2000 at any ticket counter or in automated ticket vending machines available at all stations. Frequent users of Chennai metro can use this card. A discount of 10% is applicable for the users of SVC. Therefore, the rates vary between ₹9 and ₹54 for a single journey. 3. Trip Cards are for persons traveling between the same two stations regularly. The fares are discounted by 20% and are available in 3 types namely, 10 trips valid for 30 days, 30 trips valid for 90 days, and 60 trips valid for 180 days. 4. Tourist Cards provide the cardholders unlimited rides on the Chennai Metro for 1 day. It costs ₹150 of which ₹50 is refundable on returning the card. This is ideal for persons visiting the city for a short period of time and planning to travel to their destinations by metro. CMRL announced that starting from the Diwali day, 27 October 2019, there will be a discount of 50% for all journeys taken on Sundays and public holidays. This discount will be applicable with single journey tokens (₹5 to ₹30) and Stored Value Cards (₹4 to ₹27).


Order of operation


Administration and maintenance

The Chennai metro has a depot at
Koyambedu Koyambedu is a neighbourhood in Chennai, India. Situated in the western part of Chennai city, the Koyambedu area has become a major hub of activity in Chennai City after the inauguration of the Koyambedu market in 1996 and the Chennai Mofussil ...
with ballast-less tracks of . It covers an area of and houses 42 trains. The depot houses maintenance workshops, stabling lines, a test track and a washing plant for the trains . It also houses the Operational Control Centre (OCC) where the movement of trains and real-time CCTV footages obtained from the stations and on-board cameras is monitored. The company is building a headquarters building near Nandanam. Maintenance includes preventing corrosion of train surfaces due to bird droppings, the depot has been fitted with ultrasonic bird repellers and bird strobe lights to prevent birds from entering the depot. An elevated depot at Wimco Nagar covering an area of 3.5 ha, with provision to station 12 trains commenced operations in 2022. The facilities in the depot include three inspections lines, one emergency repair line, and a small plant for washing trains. There are also plans to build a multi-storey commercial building above the depot.


Timings


Infrastructure


Rolling Stock

For Phase I,
Alstom Alstom SA is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer operating worldwide in rail transport markets, active in the fields of passenger transportation, signalling, and locomotives, with products including the AGV, TGV, Eurostar, Avelia ...
was awarded the contract to supply 168 coaches to Chennai Metro at a cost of in 2010. Alstom supplied 42 train-sets (
metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big c ...
model) composed of four coaches each with each car measuring in length and can accommodate 319 passengers. The trains have a first-class compartment and a women's section with 14 seats in the first-class car and 44 seats in the normal car. The first nine trains were imported from
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
and the remaining were manufactured at a new facility set up at Sri City,
Tada Tada or TADA may refer to: Places * Tada, Nellore district, a village in Andhra Pradesh, India * Tada mandal, in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, India * Tada Shrine, in Kawanishi, Hyōgo, Japan * Tada Station (disambiguation) *Tada, a Nupe town on the ...
about from Chennai. As a part of phase 1 extension Alstom further supplied 10 trains with 4 coaches each making a total of 52 coaches operating in phase 1 and its extension.The trains are air-conditioned with electrically operated automatic sliding doors and a regenerative braking system. The cars operate on 25 KV AC through an overhead catenary system with a maximum speed of .


Power

The trains are connected to the grid via overhead electric cables and are equipped with regenerative braking with a capacity to recover 30–35% of the energy during braking. The metro will require an average of 70 MW of power daily and the electricity will be supplied by
Tamil Nadu Electricity Board Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (abbreviated as TNEB) is a power generation and distribution company owned by Government of Tamil Nadu, India. It was created as a regulated monopoly under section 131 of the Electricity Act (2003) as a successor o ...
. Chennai Metro is also planning to use solar power for five of its stations on the elevated corridor, with a production capacity of 200 KW.


Stations

A total of 32 stations have been constructed along the two lines of the Phase 1 with 20 underground stations. Phase 1 extension has a total of 8 stations with 2 underground stations. In the underground sections, a walkway runs along the length with cross passages every for the maintenance and emergency evacuation. The underground stations have an average width of to and go up to deep from the ground level. However, the length of the stations, both underground and elevated, in Phase 1 extension is only to save space. The elevated stations have three levels, namely, street, concourse and platform with the concourse level at an average height of and platforms for boarding at above the street level. Underground stations have two levels and are air-conditioned. The metro stations are equipped to be disabled and elderly friendly, with automatic fare collection system, announcement system, electronic display boards, escalators and lifts. The stations are equipped with non-slippery flooring with grip-rails, audio announcements and Braille facilities to help visually challenged passengers. Paid parking facilities are available for two wheelers at all but three stations and in select stations for four wheelers. parking charges can be paid for through the stored value cards.


Gallery

File:Arumbakkam metro station.jpg, Arumbakkam Metro Station File:Alandur station concourse.jpg, Arignar Anna Alandur Metro Station Concourse File:Chennai Metro Interior 1.jpg, Chennai Metro Interior File:Train at Alandur station (2).jpg, Train at Arignar Anna Alandur Metro Station File:Chennai Metro (20330374978).jpg File:A Chennai Metro train at Alandhur station.jpg, Alandur Metro station


Connections

The metro system will provide connections with various other transportation modes in the city. *
Chennai Suburban Railway The Chennai Suburban Railway is a commuter rail system in the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, operated by the Southern Railways branch of Indian Railways. It is the second largest suburban rail network in terms of route length and the third ...
: Wimco Nagar, Washermanpet, Chennai Fort, Chennai Park, Chennai Egmore, Dr. M.G.R. Chennai Central, Guindy, Meenambakkam, Tirusulam and St Thomas Mount *
Chennai MRTS The Chennai Mass Rapid Transit System, a state-owned subsidiary of Indian Railways, is a metropolitan elevated railway line in Chennai, India. Operated by the Southern Railways, it is the first elevated railway line in India and also the c ...
: Chennai Fort, Park Town, Chintadripet and St Thomas Mount * Chennai Metropolitan Transport Corporation: Broadway, Chennai Egmore, Dr. M.G.R. Chennai Central, Tollgate, Thiruvottriyur, Anna Nagar, Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G.R. Bus Terminus, Vadapalani, Ashok Nagar, DMS, Saidapet, Guindy and St Thomas Mount * Southern Railway: Dr. M.G.R. Chennai Central and
Egmore Egmore is a neighbourhood of Chennai, India. Situated on the northern banks of the Coovum River, Egmore is an important residential area as well as a commercial and transportation hub. The Egmore Railway Station was the main terminus of the Madr ...
*
Chennai International Airport Chennai International Airport is an international airport serving the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu and its metropolitan area. It is located in Tirusulam, southwest of the city centre. Chennai International Airport is the sixth busiest air ...
*
State Express Transport Corporation State Express Transport Corporation (Tamil Nadu) Ltd - (SETC) is a state-owned transport corporation that runs long-distance mofussil services exceeding 300 km and above throughout the state of Tamil Nadu and major cities in adjoining states of ...
: Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G.R. Bus Terminus *
Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation Ltd. - (TNSTC) is a Government owned public transport bus operator in Tamil Nadu, India. It operates Intercity bus services to cities within Tamil Nadu, and from Tamil Nadu to its neighbouring states. It al ...
: Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G.R. Bus Terminus, Vadapalani and Guindy


Accidents and Incidents

In August 2012, a construction worker was killed and six others were seriously injured due to a crane boom failure near
Pachaiyappa's College Pachaiyappa's College is one of the oldest educational institutions in Chennai, in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. In addition, it is the first sole Indian college in Madras Presidency. History Pachaiyappa's College, Chennai is the resul ...
. On 10 January 2013, a 22-year-old construction worker was killed and three others were injured at a metro rail site on Railway Station Road between
Alandur Alandur is a zone of Chennai corporation, and an urban node in Chennai district in Guindy division in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is Surrounded by Guindy in the North and East, Adambakkam in the South, Pazhavanthangal in the South-We ...
and St Thomas Mount. On 11 January 2014, a crane toppled over, killing a 20-year-old construction worker and seriously injuring one other worker. The accident took place at 6:45 am at the construction site of the
Saidapet Saidapet, also known as Saidai, is a neighbourhood in Chennai, India, situated in the northern banks of the Adyar River and serves as an entry point to Central Chennai. It is surrounded by West Mambalam in the North, C.I.T Nagar in the North- ...
station. On 17 June 2015, a 30-year-old man was killed on the spot and another motorcyclist injured when an iron rod fell on them at an under construction metro rail station near Officers Training Academy at St. Thomas Mount around 9:00 am.


Criticisms

Chennai Metro is the second most expensive in terms of ticket cost per kilometer in the country after
Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
. The fares were slashed by up to 20 by the then Chief Minister
Edappadi K. Palaniswami Edappadi K. Palaniswami (born 12 May 1954), also known as E.P.S., is an Indian politician and the leader of opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. He served as the 7th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, from 2017 to 2021. He has been th ...
in February 2021, with the maximum fare capped at 50. In 2019, the
Madras High Court The Madras High Court is a High Court in India. It has appellate jurisdiction over the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry. It is located in Chennai, and is the third oldest high court of India after the Calcutta High C ...
questioned the state government on the scientific method it adopted in constructing the tunnels without disturbing the water bodies in the city.


National Project Excellence Award

Chennai Metro Mail Limited (CMRL) was awarded the "National Project Excellence Award" on 20 August 2019. This award was conferred by th
Project Management Associates (PMA) India
and presented by
Amitabh Kant Amitabh Kant (born 1 March 1956) was the second chief executive officer of NITI Aayog, a public policy think tank of the Government of India. He is a retired member of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), the central civil service of the Gov ...
, the CEO of
NITI Aayog The NITI Aayog (; abbreviation for National Institution for Transforming India) serves as the apex public policy think tank of the Government of India, and the nodal agency tasked with catalyzing economic development, and fostering cooperative ...
. The award was for the successful completion and commencement of passenger services for entire Phase-1 project in an extremely challenging condition, through the usage of cutting-edge engineering practices, while keeping public safety as a priority.


Network Map


See also


References


External links

* {{authority control 2015 establishments in Tamil Nadu Transport in Chennai Government of Chennai Airport rail links in India 25 kV AC railway electrification Standard gauge railways in India Railway lines opened in 2015