Chennai Metro : Blue Line and Red Line
Introduction
Chennai The metro meets Chennai’s needs for mass transit. Phase 1 is currently operational and extended, while Phase 2 is being planned and put out to bid. There are no at-grade tracks in the system; instead, trains travel underground or on elevated viaducts. Chennai Metro uses standard gauge 1435 mm tracks and 25 kilovolts alternating current overhead catenary. Of the 42 trains in the system, each has four coaches and covers a route length of 45.1 km. About 1.1 lacks (110,000) people travel daily.
Blue Line
On September 21, 2016, the Chennai Metro’s Blue Line opened for business. Its length of 23.1 km and 17 stations are almost identical to the Green Line’s length. The Blue Line’s four-coach trains travel at a top speed of 80 km/h with a headway every five to fifteen minutes. On the line, overhead wires carrying 25 kilovolt alternating current and standard gauge tracks measuring 1435 mm are employed. The line travels northeast from Chennai’s southwest.
Stations on Blue Line
| Station | Interchange/Connections |
| Washermanpet | |
| Mannadi | |
| High Court | |
| Central | Green Line; Chennai Central Railway Station |
| Government Estate | |
| LIC | |
| Thousand Lights | |
| AG-DMS | |
| Teynampet | |
| Nandanam | |
| Saidapet | |
| Little Mount | |
| Guindy | |
| Alandur | Green Line |
| Nanganallur Road | |
| Meenambakkam | |
| Airport | Chennai International Airport |
Further Extension of Blue Line
One of the two lines in Chennai Metro’s Phase 1 Project is the Blue Line, also known as Line 1. The other line is the Green Line. The line runs from Wimco Nagar Depot to Chennai International Airport. The line is being extended past Washermanpet by eight stations until Wimco Nagar as part of Chennai Metro Phase II. There are 26 stations along the line, 13 of which are underground and 13 of which are elevated.
Red Line
One of the three lines in Chennai Metro’s Phase 2 Project is the Red Line, also known as Line 5. From Sholinganallur to Madhavaram Milk Colony, a line is still being built. Forty-eight stations, six underground, one at grade, and 41 elevated, will make up the line. The government has proposed the extension of Metro Rail Corridor 5 from Thirumangalam to Avadi via Mogappair and Ambattur, and feasibility studies have been announced. Currently, the proposed corridor-5 connects Sholinganallur and Madhavaram via Koyambedu, Alandur, and Madipakkam.
Stations on Red Line
| Red Line | |||||
| S.No | Station Name | Connections | Layout | Opened | |
| English | Tamil | ||||
| 1 | Madhavaram Depot | மாதவரம் பணிமனை | None | At-grade | UC |
| 2 | Madhavaram Milk Colony | மாதவரம் பால் பண்ணை | Purple Line | Underground | UC |
| 3 | Venugopal Nagar | வேணுகோபால் நகர் | None | Underground | UC |
| 4 | Assisi Nagar | அசிசி நகர் | None | Elevated | UC |
| 5 | Manjambakkam | மஞ்சம்பாக்கம் | None | Elevated | UC |
| 6 | Velmurugan Nagar | வேல்முருகன் நகர் | None | Elevated | UC |
| 7 | Madhavaram Mofussil Bus Terminal | மாதவரம் புறநகர் பேருந்து நிலையம் |  Bus Terminus | Elevated | UC |
| 8 | Shastri-Nagar | சாஸ்திரி நகர் | None | Elevated | UC |
| 9 | Retteri Junction | ரெட்டேரி சந்திப்பு | None | Elevated | UC |
| 10 | Kolathur Junction | கொளத்தூர் சந்திப்பு | None | Underground | UC |
| 11 | Srinivasa Nagar | சீனிவாச நகர் | None | Underground | UC |
| 12 | Villivakkam | வில்லிவாக்கம் |  Chennai Suburban Railways | Underground | UC |
| 13 | Villivakkam Bus Terminus | வில்லிவாக்கம் பேருந்து நிலையம் | Bus Terminus | Underground | UC |
| 14 | Nathamuni | நாதமுனி | None | Underground | UC |
| 15 | Anna Nagar Depot | அண்ணா நகர் பணிமனை | Bus Terminus | Elevated | UC |
| 16 | Thirumangalam | திருமங்கலம் | Green Line | Elevated | UC |
| 17 | Kendriya Vidyalaya | கேந்திரிய வித்தியாலயா | None | Elevated | UC |
| 18 | Kaliamman Koil Street Junction | காளியம்மன்கோயில் சாலை சந்திப்பு | None | Elevated | UC |
| 19 | Puratchi Thalaivi Dr. J. Jayalalithaa CMBT | புரட்சித் தலைவி டாக்டர் ஜெ. ஜெயலலிதா பேருந்து நிலையம் | Green Line, Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus | Elevated | UC |
| 20 | Grain Market | தானிய அங்காடி | None | Elevated | UC |
| 21 | Sai Nagar | சாய் நகர் | Bus Stop | Elevated | UC |
| 22 | Elango Nagar | ஈளங்கோ நகர் | Bus Stop | Elevated | UC |
| 23 | Alwarthirunagar | ஆழ்வார்திருநகர் | Orange Line | Elevated | UC |
| 24 | Valasaravakkam | வளசரவாக்கம் | Orange Line | Elevated | UC |
| 25 | Karambakkam | காரம்பாக்கம் | Orange Line | Elevated | UC |
| 26 | Alapakkam Junction | ஆலப்பாக்கம் சந்திப்பு | Orange Line | Elevated | UC |
| 27 | Porur Junction | போரூர் சந்திப்பு | Orange Line | Elevated | UC |
| 28 | Mugalivakkam | முகலிவாக்கம் | None | Elevated | UC |
| 29 | DLF IT SEZ | டி.எல்.எஃப் தொழில்நுட்ப பூங்கா | None | Elevated | UC |
| 30 | Sathya Nagar | சத்யா நகர் | None | Elevated | UC |
| 31 | Chennai Trade Centre | சென்னை வர்த்தக மையம் | None | Elevated | UC |
| 32 | Butt Road | பட் சாலை | None | Elevated | UC |
| 33 | Arignar Anna Alandur | அறிஞர் அண்ணா ஆலந்தூர் | Blue Line, Green Line, Inter Corridor Line | Elevated | UC |
| 34 | St. Thomas Mount | பரங்கிமலை | Green Line, Chennai Suburban Railways, Chennai Suburban Railways MRTS | Elevated | UC |
| 35 | Adambakkam | ஆதம்பாக்கம் | Chennai Suburban Railways MRTS | Elevated | UC |
| 36 | Vanuvampet | வானுவம்பேட்டை | None | Elevated | UC |
| 37 | Puzhuthivakkam | புழுதிவாக்கம் | Chennai Suburban Railways MRTS | Elevated | UC |
| 38 | Madipakkam | மடிப்பாக்கம் | None | Elevated | UC |
| 39 | Kilkattalai | கீழ்க்கட்டளை | None | Elevated | UC |
| 40 | Echangadu | ஈச்சங்காடு | None | Elevated | UC |
| 41 | Kovilambakkam | கோவிலம்பாக்கம் | None | Elevated | UC |
| 42 | Vellakkal | வெள்ளக்கல் | None | Elevated | UC |
| 43 | Medavakkam Koot Road | மேடவாக்கம் கூட் ரோடு | None | Elevated | UC |
| 44 | Kamaraj Garden Street | காமராஜ் தோட்டம் சாலை | None | Elevated | UC |
| 45 | Medavakkam Junction | மேடவாக்கம் சந்திப்பு | None | Elevated | UC |
| 46 | Perumbakkam | பெரும்பாக்கம் | None | Elevated | UC |
| 47 | Global Hospital | குளோபல் மருத்துவமனை | None | Elevated | UC |
| 48 | Elcot | எல்காட் | None | Elevated | UC |
| 49 | Sholinganallur | சோழிங்கநல்லூர் | Purple Line | Elevated | UC |
| NA | Koyambedu | கோயம்பேடு | Green Line | Elevated | UC |
| NA | Mogappair | முகப்பேர் | None | Elevated | UC |
| NA | Ambattur | அம்பத்தூர் | None | Elevated | UC |
| NA | Avadi | ஆவடி | None | Elevated | UC |
Phase II
In 2013, E. Sreedharan emphasized the necessity of expanding the Chennai metro network by carrying out subsequent phases. J. Jayalalithaa, the chief minister at the time, declared in July 2016 that Chennai Metro Phase 2 would be 104 km long and contain 104 stations. A Phase II extension was announced in July 2017 in a suo moto statement in the State Legislative Assembly. This extension would see Line 4 extended from Lighthouse to Poonamallee, with the Madhavaram-Sholinganallur and Lighthouse-Poonamallee lines intersecting at Alwarthirunagar. [2] Connecting Chennai’s northern (Madhavaram, Thiruvottriyur, Redhills), southern (Siruseri, Sholinganallur), and eastern (Light House, Mylapore) regions to its western regions is the primary goal of Phase 2. (Porur, Poonamallee). For the IT corridor from Taramani to the Siruseri, Tamil Nadu Road Development Corporation (TNRDC) has also suggested an elevated 17.2 km (10.7 mi) four-lane corridor. On top of the flyover TNRDC built, CMRL will build its piers.
Line 5 has three crossovers where the Metro trains cross over flyovers out of the three-phase II corridors. The Porur and the Medavakkam flyovers, the Kathipara grade separator, and a future flyover between Mugalivakkam and Ramapuram will all be swiftly traversed by trains.
There are plans for 42.41 km (26.35 mi) of underground and 76.5 km (47.5 mi) of elevated routes for lines 3, 4, and 5. Phase 2’s current estimated cost is Rs. 61,000 crores, and the state government has approved it. Union Home Minister Amit Shah laid the cornerstone for phase 2 on November 20, 2020, and on June 1, 2021, work on the section of Line 4 from Poonamallee to the Power House began. After the concerns were raised by more than 50% of bidders about the CMRL shortlisting companies based on their technical qualifications, the construction work for some sections of the second phase of the Chennai Metro Rail project has been delayed. The second phase of the Chennai Metro, totaling 135 km, has been allocated Rs 63,000 crore in this year’s budget, according to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was speaking at an event in Chennai on Sunday, February 14, 2021. This is one of the most major projects ever approved for a city. Additionally, CMRL has released a map and a list of stations for the three proposed lines included in Phase 2.
The Poonamallee line (Line 4) will be extended by 4 km by CMRL to the proposed township of the Tirumazhisai in the western part of the city.
By 2026, Phase 2 is anticipated to be finished. Trains in Phase 2 will have between three and six coaches, totaling 414 coaches.
Compared to phase I, where stations were 220 m (720 ft) tall, phase II stations will be shorter at 150 m (490 ft). Three depots—Madhavaram (27.8 hectares), SIPCOT (4.5 ha [11 acres]), and Poonamallee—will be part of Phase II (15.4 ha [38 acres]).
The state assembly announced in February 2021 that the feasibility study had begun for the same to prepare a DPR soon. CMRL has decided to implement LRT Metrolite, covering 17 km connecting Tambaram and Velachery railway stations along the Velachery-Tambaram Road.
