Chennai metro line launches delayed due to pending approvals, unfinished work

Chennai: The launch of two long-awaited rail links, the MRTS extension from Velachery to St Thomas Mount and the first stretch of Metro Rail Phase 2, has been delayed due to pending approvals and unfinished work.Both corridors were expected to improve connectivity to poorly linked suburbs and cut travel time for thousands of daily commuters.The 4.5-km MRTS extension from Velachery to St Thomas Mount, which took nearly two decades to be completed, was scheduled to open on March 10. However, officials said the chief commissioner of railway safety (CCRS), who inspected the stretch on March 5, is yet to grant the mandatory approval required for commissioning the line. Railway officials said the clearance may come in a day or two, but the much-anticipated opening will now miss its planned date. The delay frustrated commuters who have long waited for the link to St Thomas Mount, which will connect the MRTS with suburban rail and metro services and significantly improve multimodal connectivity in the city.The MRTS extension was plagued by repeated delays over the years, largely due to land acquisition hurdles and co-ordination issues between multiple agencies. At the same time, the 14.6-km Metro Rail corridor from Poonamallee Bypass to Vadapalani, the first operational stretch of the Metro Rail Phase 2 network, received conditional clearance from the commissioner of metro rail safety (CMRS).However, Chennai Metro Rail Limited must first complete the installation of 26 deck slabs on the double-decker viaduct along the corridor before services can begin. Officials said the work is expected to be completed only around March 10.Sources said CMRL earlier explored opening the line on March 11 and also considered operating trains initially between Poonamallee and Porur, with the Porur–Vadapalani section to follow after the double-decker works are completed. "Once the work on the double-decker section is completed, we will get more clarity on the opening of the line," an official said.