CHENNAI (Metro Rail News): The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India inked a loan agreement for $350 million to construct three new metro lines in Chennai on January 3.
The loan is a component of the $780 million multi-tranche financing facility (MFF) for developing three new metro lines in Chennai that ADB approved on December 8 2022.
Chennai Metro Rail Investment Project
The Chennai Metro Rail Investment Project would help to expand its current metro rail network in Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu on India’s southeast coast.
The investment project supports three new metro corridors, 3, 4, and 5, linking Chennai’s centre region to essential locations in the city’s south and west.
The 10.1 km elevated portion of Corridor 3 between Sholinganallur and State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu-2, as well as nine metro stations and other system elements, will be built as part of the project.
The project for Corridor 4 will help to construct a 10 km underground route, with nine stations, between Lighthouse and Meenakshi College.
It would fund 31 km of system components for Corridor 5 between Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus and Okkiyam Thoraipakkam. These components include electrical, mechanical, power, and telecommunication infrastructure.
The three lines’ stations will have disaster and climate resilience elements as well as amenities that cater to the requirements of the elderly, women, children, persons with disabilities, and transgender people.
To enhance commuters’ experiences, multimodal interchanges and facilities will be built along metro train corridors, including drop-off and pick-up points, covered waiting areas, bicycle facilities, and passenger information.
The Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) will receive an additional $1 million ADB technical assistance (TA) grant to aid in planning and to manage the metro system’s multimodal integration.
Chennai Metro Phase I
The first Phase of the Chennai Metro Rail project spans a network of 45.046 km and consists of two corridors: corridor one from Washermenpet to the airport (23.085 km) and corridor two from Chennai Central to St. Thomas Mount (25 km) (21.961 km).
In Phase 1, there are 55 per cent of underground corridors, and the remaining are elevated. There are 32 stations total, of which 13 are elevated, and the remaining 19 are underground.
The first stretch of the Chennai Metro was inaugurated in 2015, and the final stretch was opened on February 10, 2019.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has extended the entire loan for the Phase I project to Rs. 8646 crores, t (47 per cent of the total cost).
Chennai Metro Phase II
The State government of Tamil Nadu decided to extend the Metro Project by constructing 118.9 Km under Chennai Metro Phase II with three routes to meet the growing demand for quick and sustainable mass transit systems and increase the share of the public transportation system.
- Corridor-3 (C3): Madhavaram to SIPCOT (45.8 Km)
- Corridor-4 (C4): Lighthouse to Poonamallee Bypass (26.1 Km)
- Corridor-5 (C5): Madhavaram to Sholinganallur (47.0 Km)
In August 2021, the Central Government approved the Phase 2 project for Rs. 61843 billion.
External loans are being used to fund the project from JICA, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and the New Development Bank (NDB).
The project is anticipated to be finished by the end of 2026, with civil contracts granted for the majority of the packages.
