Modi inaugurates Poonamallee-Vadapalani stretch of Chennai Metro, rides with CM Vijay
PM earlier held roadshow upon arrival; he is in TN to lay foundation stone for projects and dedicate projects worth over Rs 13,000 Cr
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (October 11) inaugurated the Poonamallee-Vadapalani stretch of Phase II of the Chennai Metro Rail Project, built at a cost of around Rs 4,900 crore and took a ride on the train with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay in company.
Modi holds roadshow, rides metro train
Modi and Vijay together flagged off the new services and travelled on the train in the presence of Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar. Modi also bought a ticket and had a brief interaction with the employee at the ticket counter.
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Modi was received by Chief Minister Vijay and Governor Arlekar upon his arrival in Chennai at 11 am. He also briefly held a roadshow and waved at the BJP workers and supporters who lined up behind barricades near the airport to welcome him.
As Modi's motorcade moved out of the airport, a serpentine queue of BJP workers and supporters waiting on roadsides waved to him and raised "Bharat Mata Ki Jai," slogans. The prime minister briefly halted his car, stood on its footboard and waved at the people.
Tamil Nadu BJP accorded him a warm welcome by also holding cultural programmes like traditional dance shows on specially earmarked spaces on the roadside near the airport.
The prime minister is in Tamil Nadu to lay the foundation stone for projects and also dedicate projects worth over Rs 13,000 crore.
Phase II of Chennai metro project
The new metro services are covered under Corridor four of Phase two of the Metro Rail project.
In the newly inaugurated stretch, there are a total of 11 elevated Metro stations covering approximately 15 km.
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The new corridor has a unique 3.7-km double-decker structure. It also features advanced signalling systems designed to support driverless operations. It is expected to reduce daily travel time for commuters and improve connectivity between Chennai's rapidly growing western suburbs and the city centre.
According to Chennai Metro Rail, the commencement of regular passenger services in the stretch will be from 4 pm on Sunday and operations shall be in both directions up to 9 pm.
Regular services from Oct 12
From October 12, regular services in this stretch will be available from 7 am to 9 pm in both directions.
The last train service shall depart at 9 pm from both terminals (Poonamallee Bypass Metro and Corridor 4 Vadapalani Metro).
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The stations covered under the new Metro yellow line are Poonamallee Bypass, Poonamallee Bus stand, Poonamallee Government Hospital, Karayanchavadi, Kumananchavadi, Kattupakkam, Iyappanthangal, Thelliyaragaram, Porur Bypass, Porur Junction and Vadapalani.
(With inputs from agencies)