After months of wait, a ride by the Chennai Metro Rail to Chennai airport seems immediate as the inauguration has been planned for early next week. Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and Union Minister for Urban Development Venkaiah Naidu may launch the service connecting Little Mount to Chennai airport, for a distance of 9 km.
According to sources, the inauguration is likely to happen between September 18 and 20, and arrangements are being made for the same. “The Chief Minister may launch the service through video conferencing. We have started the preparatory work and it will be complete by Saturday,” an official said.
This is the second stretch of Chennai Metro to be opened. The first service was launched in June last year from Koyambedu to Chennai airport.
There will be three to four trains running on the stretch from Little Mount to Chennai airport; in the first stretch too, there are about four to five trains running through the day.
Though sources say the services may be extended since it connects Chennai airport, it is not clear how long it may be increased to. In the present schedule, the services run from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The approval for the second stretch from Commissioner of Metro Rail Services (CMRS), which is a mandatory requirement, came in the first week of August.
