Chennai Metro Update: The Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) is reportedly planning to extend the services of corridor 5 up to Alandur by June 2026. While the initial plan was to terminate the services at Nandambakkam, the authority has decided to extend the services to boost the connectivity. It further stated that the extension of services is likely to provide conveniences to thousands of commuters by cutting the travel time and reducing the traffic congestion. The decision was taken after conducting a trial run on the Vadapalani-Poonamallee stretch, which is likely to begin operation by the second week of February.
While providing details, the officials stated that the corridor was initially planned to operate from Koyambedu to the Chennai Trade Centre at Nandambakkam. “The 12-km Koyambedu-Nandambakkam section was expected to be completed by June 2026 and designed to provide critical trade and commuter connectivity while bridging multiple operational corridors,” CMRL managing director MA Siddique was quoted as saying by the New Indian Express.
However, the operation of metro services till Alandur by June will be challenging for the authority due to several challenges. “If we keep barricades for long, it could cause traffic congestion. As a result, piers are being installed only during limited time windows. Though we will try internally to meet the June deadline, it is a difficult proposition,” a source was quoted as saying by the NIE.
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Earlier on Monday, the CMRL stated that commercial operation on the Porur-Vadapalani section is set to begin in the first or second week of February. The authority conducted a successful trial run on the corridor on Sunday, moving closer to the operation. The authority stated that while the stretch was originally planned for commissioning in December last year, it was later extended up to Vadapalani to boost the regional connectivity.