Work on a museum showcasing the process that went into the construction of the city’s Metro has begun opposite the Chennai Central station in a heritage building. This whole area will be transformed into a ‘Central Square’ at an estimated cost of ₹400 crore, which will be a transport hub linking different modes of public transport, taking commuters across the city and out of town. In the middle of this buzzing space, Raja Sir Savalai Ramaswamy Mudaliar Choultry, a heritage building, will house the Metro Rail museum.
According to officials of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), they drew inspiration from Delhi Metro Rail. They had planned to start work after the construction of phase I and phase I extension project was completed.
“The preliminary work for creating this museum has started. Full-fledged work will start soon,” an official said.
Akin to the Delhi Metro, the museum would showcase everything from miniature trains, tunnel boring machines, a collection of photos that display how the system was built over the years and all its milestones as well, sources said.
While the Delhi Metro museum has also working models of Operational Control Centresand kits of train operators and station managers, it is not clear if these elements will be incorporated here.
