The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved Phase 2 of Chennai Metro worth Rs 63,346 crore, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said in a briefing. The project is planned to be completed by 2027.
The second phase of Chennai Metro will comprise 128 stations with new lines of 118.9 km. It will have three corridors: Madhavaram to SIPCOT, Light House to Poonamallee bypass, and Madhavaram to Sholinganallur.
The corridor from Madhavaram to SIPCOT will have a length of 45.8 Km with 50 stations. While the corridor from Lighthouse to Poonamalle Bypass will be 26.1 Km long with 30 stations the corridor from Madhavaram to Sholinganallur will have a length of 47 Km with 48 stations.
The newly approved phase of the metro will connect the North to the South and the East to the West of Chennai. It will connect major influence areas at Madhavaram, Perambur, Thirumayilai, Adyar, Sholinganallur, SIPCOT, Kodambakkam, Vadapalani, Porur, Villivakkam, Anna Nagar and St. Thomas Mount.
It will also extend connectivity to growing areas like Sholinganallur, which serves as a hub for the south Chennai IT corridor.
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Post the completion of the project Chennai will have a total Metrol rail network of 173 km. The Metro project is expected to alleviate traffic congestion and will have an impact on heavily congested routes of the city.
The project will also help reduce travel time and improve access to different parts of the city. The construction of the new metro will also help generate numerous jobs in the various sections from construction workers to administrative staff and maintenance personnel.
The cabinet in its meeting on Thursday also approved the National Mission on Edible Oils–Oilseeds with a total financial outlay of Rs 10,103 crore, and Rs 1 lakh crore to promote sustainable agriculture and ensure food security as well as agricultural self-sufficiency.
Separately, the government approved a performance-linked bonus scheme for Railways employees, worth Rs 2,029 crore.
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