T.N. government approves CMRL’s Koyambedu-Pattabiram corridor

T.N. government approves CMRL’s Koyambedu-Pattabiram corridor

In a significant development, the Tamil Nadu government has accorded in-principle approval to Chennai Metro Rail’s Koyambedu-Avadi-Pattabiram project.

The State governmenthasapproved thedetailed project report (DPR)andrecommended it to the Centrefor its nod and for“funding on equity sharing basis and for availing loanassistance from bilateral/multilateral funding agencies”. The report will be sent to the Centre in a couple of days, sources said.

The corridor, estimated to cost Rs. 9,928.33crore, starts at the existing Koyambedu Metro Rail station, and the network runs for a distance of 21.76 km till Pattabiram. The Chennai Metro Rail has proposed stations at 19 locations, including Padi Pudhu Nagar, Park Road, Golden Flat Junction, Vavin, Ambattur Estate, Ambattur Telephone Exchange, Dunlop, Ambattur Station, Ambattur OT, Stedford Hospital, Thirumullaivoyal, Vaishnavi Nagar, Murugappa Polytechnic, Avadi Railway Station, Kasturba Nagar, Hindu College, Pattabiram and Outer Ring Road.At three locations, the corridor will become a double-decker, with elevated road (of the Highways department) in the first level and the Metro in the second.

According to officials of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), they will need nearly 112 acres for this project to build the stations, viaduct and depot. “This will be entirely elevated like the Airport-Kilambakkam corridor and we hope to complete the construction in three years from the award of the contract. We plan to operate three-coach trains in the Koyambedu-Pattabiram stretch and this will be able to handle the proposed passenger traffic based on our study,” an official said. CMRL submitted the DPR to the State government in February this year.

Hundreds of residents and people who commute to areas such as Avadi, Thirunindravur, Ambattur, Pattabiram and Mogappair are keen to travel by Metro as it willcut down their travel time drastically.

T. Sadagopan, a resident of Pattabiram, said he is thrilled that the DPR has finally been approved by the State government.

“For a long time now, people residing along this corridor have been eager to see it take off. Metro Rail will change the way we travel and our commute will be so much better, faster and convenient. Whether to travel to Chennai airport or Chennai Central, it takes at least an hour and a half from Pattabiram now by bus. This time will come down by half if we have Metro Rail connectivity,” he said.