Decode Civils CAShorts
Current affairs Open app
EconomyPrelimsGS1

Chennai Metro Phase-II, a 118.9 km project, opens its first stretch

By CAShorts DeskPublished Source: PIB (Cabinet release, 3 October 2024; Prime Minister's Office release, 11 October 2026); The Times of India, 11 October 2026

Chennai Metro Phase-II, a 118.9 km project, opens its first stretch
Illustration (AI-generated)

Chennai Metro Rail Phase-II, approved by the Union Cabinet in October 2024 on the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs' proposal, adds three corridors, 118.9 km and 128 stations at Rs 63,246 crore, due by 2027. The Prime Minister opened its first stretch, about 15 km and 11 stations from Poonamallee Bypass towards Vadapalani, on 11 October 2026.

Syllabus: Prelims · Current Affairs & IR; GS1 · Women, Population & Urbanisation; GS3 · Infrastructure

Why it matters

A commuter in Chennai's western suburbs, around Poonamallee or Porur, can now take a train that comes every 10 minutes at peak hours instead of sitting in road traffic, and the line is designed to meet Phase-I at Vadapalani. The Cabinet expects Phase-II to ease congestion, cut carbon emissions compared with fossil-fuel transport and bring jobs within easier reach, such as in the IT hub at Sholinganallur. The price is steep: Rs 63,246 crore for 118.9 km, or about Rs 532 crore a km. The larger question for every growing Indian city is whether ridership, feeder links and fares let such lines repay that cost.

Prelims pointers

  • Metro Rail Policy, 2017 (Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs): central help as a 10% grant, 50:50 Centre-State equity, or a PPP with viability gap funding.
  • Under the 2017 policy, private participation, for a whole line or parts such as fare collection or operation and maintenance, is essential for central financial assistance.
  • National Urban Transport Policy, 2006: move people, not vehicles; favour public and non-motorised transport; set up a Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority in million-plus cities.
  • Chennai Metro Rail Limited and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation are each 50:50 joint ventures of the Government of India and the State or Delhi government.
  • Kolkata Metro, India's first (1984), is run by Indian Railways as a zonal railway; other city metros come under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
  • India's first driverless metro operation began on the Delhi Metro's Magenta Line in December 2020.
  • Viability gap funding: a scheme of the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, giving capital grants to infrastructure PPP projects that are economically justified but not financially viable.
  • Commission of Railway Safety: under the Ministry of Civil Aviation; its Commissioners of Metro Railway Safety inspect a new metro line before it opens to passengers.

Practise a UPSC-style question

With reference to the Chennai Metro Rail Project Phase-II approved by the Union Cabinet in 2024, consider the following statements:

1. It was approved on the proposal of the Ministry of Railways.

2. It comprises three corridors adding about 118.9 km of new metro lines.

3. One of its corridors runs from Lighthouse to Poonamallee Bypass.

4. Once complete, it would take Chennai's metro network to 173 km.

How many of the above statements are correct?

  1. (a) Only one
  2. (b) Only two
  3. (c) Only three
  4. (d) All four
Show the answer

Answer: (c) Only three

1 is incorrect: the Cabinet approved the proposal of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, which handles city metro projects; the Ministry of Railways runs Indian Railways. 2 is correct: the three corridors add 118.9 km with 128 stations. 3 is correct: the Lighthouse–Poonamallee Bypass corridor is 26.1 km long with 30 stations, and its first stretch opened in October 2026. 4 is correct: the city's network will total 173 km once Phase-II is fully running.

More from the 12 October 2026 edition

All stories of 12 October 2026

More Economy current affairs