Chennai: The first stretch of the 118.9km Phase-2 Metro Rail from Vadapalani to Poonamallee Bypass covering 14.64km opened to the public on Sunday evening, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister C Joseph Vijay flagged off the first train at Porur Bypass station. The two leaders then became the first passengers on the city’s driverless Metro train, travelling from Porur Bypass to Poonamallee Bypass and back, seated next to each other during the ride.“We were looking forward to this inauguration. It takes about an hour for us to reach Vadapalani from Iyyappanthangal by road. Now it takes less than 30 minutes,” said Nitesh Kumar, a resident of Iyyappanthangal. For Porur resident S Ramesh Anand, the line means avoiding busy Arcot Road on his daily commute. “It will take just 20 minutes for me to reach my office in Vadapalani. I’d otherwise spend a stressful hour riding my bike to work every day. Now I can spend the money I spend on petrol on a Metro monthly pass,” he said.Passengers relied on dynamic display boards showing routes and upcoming stations in English and Tamil, along with audio announcements, to know when to get off at their destination.Before boarding, Modi bought a paper QR-code ticket at the counter and tapped it at the automatic fare collection gate. “I was awestruck and speechless when he purchased a ticket. I simply said ‘thank you’ and he replied ‘welcome’,” said Subathira S, the ticket-counter staff member.The 14.64km elevated stretch, part of Corridor-4, has 11 stations and was built at a cost of Rs 4,900 crore. It links the western suburbs to the existing Metro network at Vadapalani, where commuters can change to Phase-1 services to reach Chennai Central, Egmore, Alandur and the airport. The line is also expected to improve access to the Chennai–Sriperumbudur industrial belt.Though designed for Unattended Train Operation (UTO), the trains will initially operate with two operators onboard. Full driverless operations are expected only by mid-2027, after testing and safety certification. The line uses communication-based train control, automatic train protection and platform screen doors.Passenger services began at 4pm and continued until 9pm on Sunday. From Monday, trains will run from 7am to 9pm, every 10 minutes during peak hours from Monday to Saturday and every 15 minutes during non-peak hours. Sunday and holiday services will run every 15 minutes throughout the day.The opening came nearly six years after the Phase-2 foundation stone was laid on Nov 21, 2020. The first stretch had been awaiting a Prime Ministerial inauguration date since March.A Metro official said Phase-1 and Phase-2 timetables were not yet synchronised because their operating hours differ. Civil work and train testing will continue after services end at 9pm.The stretch covers Poonamallee Bypass, Poonamallee Bus Stand, Poonamallee Government Hospital, Karayanchavadi, Kumananchavadi, Kattupakkam, Ayyappanthangal, Thelliyagaram, Porur Bypass, Porur Junction and Vadapalani. The 3.7km double-decker section between Porur Junction and Vadapalani, including six stations, is not yet operational.
