As preparations are under way to build the second airport for Chennai city at Parandur, Chennai Metro Rail has finished a study and submitted to the State government, on Thursday, a proposal to build a mass rapid transit system all the way from Poonamallee to Parandur via Thirumazhisai and Sriperumbudur. The total length of the corridor will be 43.63 km, covering 19 stations and it will be built at an estimated cost of ₹10,712 crore.
At present, Chennai Metro Rail’s phase II project being constructed now will have a station at Poonamallee and it will be ready in the next two years. The Poonamallee station is a part of corridor 4 of the phase II project and links Poonamallee with Light House. This corridor will be extended from Poonamallee upto Parandur. The two other stretches of phase II include Madhavaram to SIPCOT (corridor 3) and Madhavaram to Sholinganallur (corridor 5)
If this project becomes a reality, then commuting between the city and Kancheepuram too will become much easier for people.
According to officials of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), some of the stations on this stretch, include Nazarathpet, Chembarambakkam, Thirumazhisai, Pappanchathiram, Chettipedu, Thandalam, Irungattukottai, Pennalur, Sriperumbudur, SIPCOT, Mambakkam, Sunguvarchatram, Neervalur and Parandur airport. It will be a fully elevated stretch and hence the construction is likely to be faster as well.
“The system will be built along the Chennai-Bengaluru highway and we are recommending to build a metro rail system. Though it is a metro system, the stations are located a little far apart and for the benefit of air passengers, we are suggesting an increase in the train speed so that they can reach the airport quickly,” an official said.
Since they have just submitted the detailed feasibility report, the subsequent process is to draft a detailed project report and it will be done when the State government gives a go-ahead.
Travel to Parandur will take nearly two hours and with rising traffic congestion in the city, it will be essential to have a mass rapid transit to the second airport. CMRL officials said Chennai airport Metro Rail station is being used by thousands of air passengers and hence planning for such a connectivity for the future airport too becomes imperative.
