In what could be a let-down for commuters, Chennai Metro Rail’s Phase II stretch from Koyambedu to Chennai Trade Centre, targeted for launch in June this year, has encountered nearly eight months of delay.

The Chennai Metro Rail will also complete the Alandur station, which comes after the Chennai Trade Centre, and may only open the Koyambedu-Alandur stretch by early next year.

It is to be noted that the first stretch of the Phase II project — Poonamallee to Vadapalani — has already missed its deadline andhas still not been inaugurated.

CRS clearance

The Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) had cleared the opening of the Poonamallee-Vadapalani stretch, with train stoppage planned at all stations from Poonamallee to Porur. After Porur, the train will skip six stations and finally make a stop at Vadapalani. But the State government still awaits a date for the inauguration of this stretch from the Centre.

Meanwhile, the Chennai Metro Rail has delayed the construction of the six stations between Porur and Vadapalani — Alapakkam, Karambakkam, Valasaravakkam, Alwarthirunagar, Saligramam Warehouse, and Saligramam. They will be ready only after three months.

In the 118.9-km Phase II project, the Poonamallee-Vadapalani stretch forms a part of corridor 4 (Poonamallee to Light House), and Koyambedu-Alandur comprises a section of corridor 5 (Madhavaram to Sholinganallur).

Difficult stretch

According to officials of the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), work on the Koyambedu-Alandur stretch was delayed primarily due to the shortage of workers, but now, it has gathered pace.

They said it was not easy to execute the work along this stretch, be it moving sewer lines or working amid limited permission at night.

‘Viaduct completed’

“We have a good strength of workers and we are taking steps to expedite the construction. We have almost finished building the viaduct and have laid nearly 16 km of track,” an official said.

The installation of the overhead equipment too, is under way. But one of the most difficult jobs will be constructing the entry/exit structures of the stations from Koyambedu to Alandur.

Sources said that a significant part of the civil work was likely to be over by October-end.

“Only if the civil work is completed can the trial run begin on this stretch. Simultaneously, the work on signalling and telecommunication systems too will commence. This may go on for a minimum of 2-3 months. After that, the safety approvals have to be sought, inspections have to be carried out, and finally, the approval may be granted. There is quite a lot of work left to be done before the opening,” another official said.

Once the Koyambedu-Alandur and the Poonamallee-Vadapalani stretches of the Phase II project are opened, Metro Rail commuters can interchange trains and switch to the Phase I network at Koyambedu, Vadapalani, and Alandur.

Published - July 26, 2026 11:48 pm IST