Making an announcement in the Assembly under rule no 110, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said the Chennai Metro Rail Corporation has been instructed to prepare a supplementary Detailed Project Report (DPR) to study the feasibility of extending the network from CMBT to Poonamallee.
“The Tamil Nadu Government has decided to extend the line from Light House to Koyambedu to Poonamalle via Vadapalani, Virugambakkam, Valasaravakkam and Porur. This is aimed at decongesting the Arcot Road, which witnesses heavy traffic. The Government would have to spend an additional '3,850 crore for extending the line,” Palaniswami said.
He also announced that Metro project will be implemented in Coimbatore with financial assistance from KFW of Germany.
The Phase-II envisages connecting Madhavaram with SIPCOT, CMBT with Light House and Madhavaram Milk Colony with Sholinganallur on the IT corridor, while Phase-I connects Tiruvottriyur with Chennai Airport and Chennai Central with St. Thomas Mount. The Phase-I corridors are partly operational and will be completely operational by 2018.
Once the Phase-II is approved and operational later, the city would boast of nearly 180 km of Metro rail network. The Light House-Poonamalle corridor, if approved and operational, would come as a major boost for the suburb, which is deprived of connectivity that areas inside the city boasts of.
Poonamalle is already a growing suburb with several real estate projects coming up given its proximity to the Chennai-Bengaluru highway that boasts of several industries like Hyundai and Dell.
Currently, Poonamallee is connected only through road transport and Metro connectivity would only attract more residents to it. Poonamalle is the gateway to the city from Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Vellore districts.
Another icing on the cake is the move to take the Metro via Vadapalani, Virugambakkam, Valasaravakkam and Porur on the Arcot Road, which is every busy. Residents in these thickly populated areas say Metro connectivity would come, as a blessing in disguise for them since they have to wade through the traffic during the morning and evening peak hours.
