Chennai Metro Rail project will take a step closer to starting operations with the mandatory safety check of rolling stock by railway authorities set to start tomorrow.

According to reliable sources, the Commissioner of Railway Safety, Bengaluru, will inspect the Metro Rail rolling stock tomorrow. This is a prerequisite for start of commercial operations of the rail-based public transport system in Chennai.

Usually, the process of clearance takes a few weeks. The inspection is an indication that the city’s commuters can hope to avail themselves of this modern facility in about a month.

The Chennai Metro Rail Ltd, a public sector company, which is implementing the ₹14,500-crore metro rail project, started trial runs of a 10-km stretch of elevated section between Koyambedu and Alandur from last year. According to the source, 14 train sets supplied by Alstom are ready for operation and have been tested for a few months now.

The stations at Koyambedu, Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus, Arumbakkam, Vadapalani, Ashok Nagar, Eekkatuthangal and Alandur stations are nearly ready, according to information available on the CMRL website.

The first phase of the Metro Rail project envisages two corridors totalling 45-km traversing the city linking the northern part of the south connecting railway and airport facilities. One corridor runs from Washermanpet in North Chennai to the airport in the South covering a distance of about 23-km. Another corridor runs from Chennai Central Railway Station to Saint Thomas Mount with a spur line to the airport at Meenambakkam. In both the corridors, nearly half the portion runs underground for which tunnelling works are at an advanced stage of completion. The rest is on elevated segments.

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