Preliminary works for the phase II project of Chennai Metro Rail are under way. Officials conducted a site visit, recently, to finalise the location of stations.
According to sources, officials of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) went with a team to see where the stations may be located and decide on other such details.
“While the preparation of a detailed project report is going on, we wanted to look at the other details. Of course, the location of stations too will be covered in the DPR, but on-site visit makes all the difference. Once the report is out, the finalised location may be decided after discussions,” a source said.
Chennai Metro Rail plans on expanding the network to 88 km at a cost of about Rs. 44,000 crore.
Sources say it may take as long as ten years to complete the project.
Initially, it was planned as a 76 km stretch but it has now been expanded to 88 km to cover various areas.
There may be two depots in this phase II project for maintenance of trains.
How many trains may be required for this project is not yet clear.
The project will cover most parts of the city, including a section of OMR.
The phase I of the project covers 45 km of the city that extends from Washermanpet to Chennai airport (23 km) and Chennai Central to St. Thomas Mount (22 km).
The cost of the Phase I project is Rs. 14,600 crore.
