CMRL Inspects Proposed Sites for Madurai Metro Stations to Seamlessly Merge with Railway Station Redevelopment

CMRL officials on Thursday visited the proposed sites of the underground metro station at various places around the Madurai railway junction. This inspection visit by the Managing Director M.A. Siddique focused on the smooth coordination of the metro project with the railway station’s re-development currently undergoing at Madurai railway station as part of the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.

Accompanied by senior Southern Railway officials, Siddique and his team assessed key sites and discussed strategies for optimizing costs and enhancing connectivity. The inspection aims at integrating the metro station with the railway terminal. Thus, there would be a proper entry and exit point for the commuters without hassle. The metro station would have an underground pedestrian pathway to the arrival and departure areas of the station.

The review also addressed the alignment of metro infrastructure with the railway station’s redevelopment. “We are working closely with the railways to integrate the metro with the existing station infrastructure,” said Siddique. He added that the Metro DPR has already been submitted to the Union government, however, renovation details are missing from the initial plan. These discrepancies have been observed and will be incorporated in the updated DPR.

The metro project would go to constructing 26 stations over four years. According to the estimates, the elevated sections would be completed within two years while the underground ones could take up to three years. The underground metro stretch will cover 4.65 km, while the elevated stretch will span 27.3 km. The total estimated cost of the project is ₹11,360 crore, and the metro will initially feature three coaches with trains running every 5 to 10 minutes.

Additional discussions included minimizing disruptions to existing rail operations by coordinating construction activities with Southern Railway routes, especially at critical locations like Rameswaram and Andalpuram. Siddique also highlighted plans to integrate the metro with key transit hubs like Periyar bus stand and Madurai railway station.

Traffic activist T. Nageshwaran praised the integration efforts, emphasizing that coordinating with Southern Railway will reduce costs and streamline the project. Siddique also confirmed that groundwork for the Coimbatore Metro is progressing, with another inspection scheduled for next month to finalize integration details and expedite land acquisition for metro corridors and stations.