A combination of factors including the delay in completion of some of the station entry/exit points have led to the delay in operations.
| Photo Credit: B. VELANKANNI RAJ
Chennai Metro Rail’s first stretch of the phase II project from Poonamallee to Porur, a section of corridor 4, may miss the December deadline and will be opened for commuters by January.
According to officials of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), they expect to complete the construction work and get the regulatory clearances in the next few weeks and plan to start train services in January along this stretch.
A combination of factors including the delay in completion of some of the station entry/exit points and receiving the necessary clearances have led to the delay. A few mandatory approvals from the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) and the Railway Board, Ministry of Railways still hasn’t come. “We have escalated the issue to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. We expect that the [Railway] board will provide the signalling approval and release the RDSO speed certificate by December 8 or December 9,” an official said.
After this, CMRL has to submit the application to the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) inviting them to inspect this stretch along with the RDSO speed certificate and an ISI certificate.
CRS will first examine all the documents and then would pay a visit. Officials said, if the RDSO speed certificate is issued next week, then the CRS inspection can be scheduled in the third week of the month.
After their inspection, they have to give a certificate which will be the final approval, clearing the decks for opening the train services to public.
Sources said there was quite a lot of work to complete in the construction of the entry/exit points along the Poonamallee-Porur stretch and it is going to be a Herculean task to finish it within the next few weeks.
“Over 93 per cent of the construction work between Poonamallee and Porur has been completed. We have mobilised a huge manpower and will definitely complete the construction before the end of December,” another official said.
Sources said, it will be very difficult to complete the entry/exit structures of two stations in particular, Karayanchavadi and Kumananchavadi. But officials said that of the two entry/exit points, one will definitely be ready by December end.
Once the clearances come through, then CMRL will have to seek a date for inauguration from the Centre and the State government.
Published – December 08, 2025 05:58 am IST
