Chennai Metro Rail took a trip from Ashok Nagar to Alandur on Sunday, gearing up to commence operations in about six months from now. Hereafter, the trains will go through trials all the way from Koyambedu to Alandur — a distance of about 10 km — on which trains carrying people are likely to ply by October.
Around 10.30 a.m., the train departed from Ashok Nagar station and ran up to Alandur station, according to officials of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL).
“Today, we conducted the trial run only in the up line. But soon, it will be carried out in the down line as well,” an official of CMRL said.
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The trial run for Chennai Metro Rail, built at a cost of Rs. 14,600 crore, began in February between Koyambedu and Ashok Nagar, a distance of about 5.6 km and has been progressing ever since.
Only recently, the stretch from Koyambedu to Alandur was electrified and subsequently, the track work was also completed.
Meanwhile, the last two of the nine trains manufactured in Sao Paulo, Brazil for Chennai Metro Rail arrived at the Chennai Port on Saturday.
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They will soon be shifted to the depot in Koyambedu, the operational control centre for Chennai Metro Rail. The trains in the Koyambedu depot are currently undergoing various tests.
Of the 42 trains for Chennai Metro Rail, nine are from Brazil and the remaining are from factories in Sri City, about 55 km from the city.