Chennai: Tamil Nadu government anticipating Metro to be a ‘Superhit’ among commuters has given the nod to procure 28 new 6-coach metro trains at a cost of ₹2,820.90 crore for the existing Metro Phase-I system. According to authorities, this strategic move will be supported through funding from multilateral funding agencies.
Tamil Nadu government approved the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) proposal recently after it has done a study to assess the need for more trains in the currently- operational 54-km phase I (and its extension) stretch.
Chennai Metro services have seen a steep spike in ridership for the past one year, it touched 85.5 lakh in July 2023 Since the Phase 1 project commenced over a decade ago.
From 10,000 passengers per day in the beginning, the system now serves over 2.5 lakh passengers daily. However, this falls short of the projected ridership of over 7 lakh passengers per day. Currently, Metro is operated for 19 hours a day, and 45, four-coach trains are pressed on duty.
The existing Phase I of the Chennai Metro Rail project covers a distance of 45.046 km and consists of two Corridors i.e. Corridor-I From Washermenpet to Airport (23.085 Km), Corridor -2 From Chennai Central to St. Thomas Mount (21.961 km). Of this, about 55% of the Corridors are underground and the remaining are elevated.