CMRL Initiates DPRs for Metro Extensions from Lighthouse to High Court, Tambaram to Velachery

The Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has progressed with two key connectivity-enhancing proposals and has awarded the preparation of Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Lighthouse-High Court link and the Tambaram-Guindy-Velachery corridor.

According to the press release by CMRL, the LightHouse-High Court extension is planned for 7 km along the Marina beachfront, directly connecting to the Secretariat. This stretch would immensely reduce travel time for government employees, beachgoers, and daily commuters and would be a great relief to commuters who have been relying on road transport for this highly congested corridor.

The second extension would be approx. 21 km long from Tambaram, crossing Medavakkam, Pallikaranai and Velachery, which will, when complete, bring the southern suburbs, which are growing rapidly in Chennai, into direct access of Corridor 1 of the already existing metro system operational from Washermenpet to Chennai Airport.

“This corridor will facilitate multimodal integration at Tambaram, Medavakkam, Velachery, and Guindy,” said CMRL in its press statement. It is expected that this integration will improve last-mile connectivity with bus, suburban rail, and other transport hubs, especially given that they will be at both Tambaram and Guindy, which are major transit points.

It will also connect the workers of the IT corridor with the residents of highly populous residential belts in south Chennai through a faster route along these congested arterial roads. As such, the Lighthouse-High Court segment will be a critical link for anyone going between the historical northern regions of the city and the eastern seafound.

The Tambaram-Velachery line will offer a quicker means to these densely populated residential areas within south Chennai to IT corridor workers, instead of the regular busy arterial roads. The Lighthouse-High Court segment will also provide a critical link for the people who travel between the historic northern regions of the city and its eastern coast.

The DPRs will detail route alignments, station locations, construction methodologies, costs, and timelines. They will also analyze passenger demand, environmental impact, and land acquisition requirements. The studies represent a vital link before the projects are brought into financial closure and implementation.

CMRL currently operates its metro network over 54 km with multiple expansions in construction. These new extensions, 28 km overall, are part of the agency’s long-term mega blueprint to expand metro coverage to the neglected areas and decongest Chennai’s roads.