In a move that will benefit thousands of commuters, Chennai Metro Rail has set the ball rolling towards introduction of direct operations from Koyambedu to Chennai airport, a distance of 16 km. This marks a change in plan. According to the original plan, commuters who want to travel from Koyambedu to Chennai airport will have to change trains at Alandur station.
In the system, travelling by the Metro from Koyambedu to the airport would take an hour. If the direct service without transit is implemented, the travel time would be cut down by half.
According to officials of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), the objective of direct travel will be achieved through a loop-like facility created beyond Alandur which will be meant for trains to change tracks and travel directly to Airport.
A team of officials from Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) visited the Chennai Metro Rail project over the weekend to inspect this loop-like facility.
They also tested the trains that are to be operated on the nine-km stretch between Little Mount and Chennai Airport which is likely to be operational in a few months.
“One of the important components of this testing was checking the loop which had to be specially tested before using it for running passenger services. Our observations will be sent in the report a fortnight later. Apart from that, we checked the trains and ran various tests to check speed and load factors,” an official said.
This testing of trains by RDSO is a mandatory technical requirement before the trains are pressed into commercial operations.
If this approval comes, then Chennai Metro Rail will move an inch towards inaugurating its second stretch from Little Mount to Chennai airport.
After the approval from RDSO, Chennai Metro Rail has to get the final clearance from Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) for throwing open the services to the public.
