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Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has asked the Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety (CCRS) in New Delhi to relax certain operational restrictions on the Poonamallee-Vadapalani stretch of Chennai Metro Phase II, according to a report. This 14.6 km stretch is part of Corridor 4, which will connect Poonamallee to
Lighthouse, and is considered an important development in the expansion of Chennai's metro network.
Inspectional Work
Railway safety officials have already carried out inspections on this route. Recently, CCRS Janak Kumar Garg visited the corridor to review the infrastructure and discuss with CMRL officials about operations.
This visit was the third inspection for the project. During earlier inspections, the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS), Southern Circle, had raised some concerns about sections between Poonamallee-Porur and Porur-Vadapalani. After these concerns were mentioned, CMRL conducted additional checks and made the required improvements. Following the second inspection held in late February, the CRS approved the request to begin operations on the line; however, with two important restrictions.
The first restriction was regarding train frequency. Trains were allowed to run every 15 minutes between Poonamallee and Porur. The second restriction limited the maximum speed of trains between Porur and Vadapalani to 25 km per hour. Because of this speed limit, trains could run only once every 20 minutes on that stretch.
Request for Ease in Restrictions
CMRL officials have now requested the CCRS to ease these restrictions so that services can run more efficiently and benefit passengers. According to officials, if approval is granted, the train frequency between Poonamallee and Porur could be improved from 15 minutes to 10 minutes. They also took permission to increase train speeds between Porur and Vadapalani from 25 kmph to 40 kmph.
Meanwhile, work on deck slabs along the corridor is still in progress and is expected to be completed soon. Once construction is finished and approvals are received, CMRL plans to reduce train intervals as passenger numbers grow.
