AIIB to fund US$320 million to build Phase II corridors of Chennai Metro

Chennai, India (Urban Transport News): The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has recently announced to provide financial assistance (fund) of US$320 million (nearly Rs 2,306 crore) to start construction of 18-km long elevated metro corridor of phase 2 of Chennai Metro Rail project. The metro corridor will be constructed between Meenakshi College in Kodambakkam and Poonamallee Bypass, which is part of the ambitious 118.9 km corridor of the Chennai Metro's phase-2 project. Commenting on the current development on the phase 2 project of Chennai Metro, a CMRL official said:

Now, we will call for tenders in another two to three months. A detailed design consultant (DDC), who will design the stations and the line, is already on the job. Soil test on this stretch is also completed.

The 18-km stretch between Meenakshi College and Poonamallee bypass is part of 26.1 km corridor of Chennai Metro's phase 2 which will connect from Light House to Poonamallee Bypass. The residents of areas like Porur, Iyyappanthangal, Kattupakkam, Kumananchavadi, Karayanchavadi, and Poonamallee will get metro rail connectivity as this area is not linked with good public transportation.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will fund the rest of the corridor between Light House and Meenakshi College covering around 8km, sources said. Earlier, the project executing body Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) had planned to build corridor-4 between Light House and CMBT to link core areas of the city including Mylapore, Adyar, Nandanam, T Nagar, Kodambakkam and Vadapalani. Later, the CMRL planned to extend the corridor-4 to cover other areas like Porur, Iyappanthangal, Kumanan Cahvadfi, Karayan Chavadi, and Poonamallee, which were earlier planned to be connected through a monorail system, as the monorail project not feasible to handle the increasing passenger traffic.

Sources said that the construction for a 52-km long corridor in phase 2 of the Chennai Metro is expected to begin in June. The corridor is consisting with two underground sections  - from Venugopal Nagar in Madhavaram to Kellys covering 9 km stretch and from Kellys to Taramani Road Junction covering a 12 km route. The Chennai Metro Rail Limited has recently invited two-package tenders for the construction of the underground tunnels. The Japanse financial agency Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will provide financial assistance for the construction of the 52 km long stretch between Madhavaram and Sholinganallur and Madhavaram to CMBT.