Chennai Metro
Chennai Metro is the rapid transit system serving Tamil Nadu’s capital, run by Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL). Phase 1 has been carrying passengers since 2015, and a much larger Phase 2 is under construction that will roughly triple the network and reach parts of the city the first phase never touched.
The network
Phase 1 covers about 54 km across two corridors, the Blue Line and the Green Line, mixing underground stretches through the crowded core with elevated sections further out. The lines meet at Chennai Central and connect with the suburban rail and MRTS, so riders can move between systems at a single point. Phase 2 adds three new corridors of roughly 118 km, a big step up in scale.
Operator and what comes next
CMRL builds and runs the metro. Its near-term work is Phase 2, where civil construction, tunnelling, stations and systems are progressing corridor by corridor. Contract awards, viaduct milestones and station updates keep coming as the phase advances toward opening.
Latest Chennai Metro news
The stories below refresh on their own as we publish: Phase 2 progress, contract awards, tunnelling and station milestones, and tenders.
Frequently asked questions
Who runs the Chennai Metro?
Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL).
When did the Chennai Metro open?
Phase 1 began carrying passengers in 2015 and was completed over the following years.
How big will Chennai Metro get?
Phase 2 adds about 118 km across three corridors to the roughly 54 km of Phase 1.
Latest ridership: 2.66 lakh/day (2023 - verify)
Route map coming soon.
No active contract data yet.
- HMRTC plans second power line for Rapid Metro after Gurgaon blackout
- CMRL to conduct second survey to improve Chennai Metro patronage
- Chennai Metro to operate driverless metro on Poonamalle – Powerhouse line
- Larsen & Toubro Records Significant Milestones in Chennai Metro Line-3 Construction
- Voltas wins CMRL construction contract for Corridor 4
- Chennai Metro Rail launches feeder Service for DLF Cybercity IT Park Commuters
- Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority Invites Bids for ‘Lite Metro’ Feasibility Study
- CMRL Completes DPR for Coimbatore Metro, Awaits CM’s Approval
- First Factory Acceptance Test of Herrenknecht TBM Successfully Conducted at HK Factory
- CMRL Awards Rs 404.45 Crores Contract to Linxon India for Phase 2 Corridors
- Chennai Metro Phase-II Corridors: Tata Projects Commemorates Assembly of Third Terratec EPBM
- Residents looking forward to extension of Chennai Metro Rail Line
- Chennai Metro Rail’s Phase 2 Project: 82% of Required Land Acquired
- CMDA To Raise Floor Space Index (FSI) For Properties Near MRTS and Chennai Metro Rail Routes
- Chennai Metro to Get ‘Lite Metro’: CUMTA Begins Feasibility Study