The 7km elevated stretch between Koyambedu and Ashok Nagar of the Chennai Metro Rail will be fully electrified early next week.
With this both the up and down stretch of the line will be ready for commute after the trials on the tracks are complete, say Chennai Metro Rail Ltd. (CMRL) officials who estimate the stretch to be operational by early 2015.
Currently, the first train that reached Chennai in July from Sao Paulo in Brazil is being tested on the elevated stretch. This train is now being tested on the up line as it has been supplied with 25 KV (kilovolt) traction power; the down line will be electrified next week and the trials will, subsequently, commence on that track as well, CMRL officials said.
The trials for the first train on the elevated track that started in February will continue till the end of April after which, the trials for other trains will be taken up, officials said.
While the trains, two and three, are being tested on the 800 metre test track located in the depot, the fourth and fifth trains are going through static tests that includes air-conditioning, lighting, air compressors and electrical systems.
Meanwhile, the sixth and seventh trains have arrived from Sao Paulo.
With this, CMRL has received nine trains in the last nine months.
Of the nine, seven were manufactured in Brazil and the remaining two in Sri City, Andhra Pradesh.
Meanwhile, the final batch of two trains will leave Brazil by the end of April and reach Chennai in May, officials said.