Chennai metro test run begins

At Rs 14,600 cr this is Tamil Nadu's biggest ever infrastructure project

Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa on Wednesday flagged-off the test run of the rolling stock of Chennai metro rail.  The chief minister spent about 10 minutes inside the four-coach train car, before flagging it off at the Koyambedu depot.

Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRIL)’s managing director K Rajaraman explained the features of the train car to the chief minister, who switched on the flow of traction power to the 800-metre test track, according to an official release.

The Rs 14,600-crore project will be funded 59 per cent by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica); 20 per cent by the Centre and the remaining 21 from the state.

Phase-I involving the Koyambedu-St Thomas Mount elevated line, is expected to be ready by 2015. Line related work and stations  will be completed by December. Subsequently, operating trials would start from January as a run-up to commissioning of the line in July 2014.

The first set of the locally made coaches for the metro will be ready by January 2014 at the Alstom’s plant at Sri City special economic zone located 55 km from Chennai.

Officials of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRIL) said the project aimed to provide a convenient, modern and economical mode of public transport, which would be properly integrated with other forms of public and private transport including buses, sub-urban trains and the mass rapid transit system. This will be first metro project in the country that integrates with other existing public transport systems.

The state’s largest infrastructure project is expected to reduce the travel time in the city by 75 per cent. Against the ideal 70 per cent share of public transport, the city’s share came down from 60 per cent in 1992 to 35-40 per cent now.

Chennai is connected with its suburban transport through arterial roads including Anna Salai/Mount road, EVR Salai/Poonamalle high road and inner ring road/ Jawaharlal Nehru road / 100 feet road, which will be integrated with the metro.

The government has decided to take up corridor 1 & 2 under Phase-I based on maximum ridership. Corridor 3 will be taken up under Phase II. Corridor-I consists of Airport- GST Road, Anna Salai-Central-Broadway-Washermanpet-Tiruvottiur.

Corridor II  includes Alandur – JN Road – Koyambedu – EVR Salai, Egmore –  Fort – Beach Station and Corridor III Ambattur- ring road – Arcot road – Panagal Park – Eldams road – Luz Church road- RK Mutt – Adyar Bridge – Lattince Bridge road – Thiruvanmiyur.