Undeterred by low ridership, the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has decided to go ahead with the second phase of the rapid transit project serving Tamil Nadu’s capital city. The CMRL has started issuing notices to residents whose land is to be acquired for the 108 km-long project that will see the Metro go towards the extended suburbs of the city at a cost of Rs 85,000 crore.
A report by the Times of India states that officials have started issuing notices to property owners in Madhavaram, Sembium, Otteri and Perambur where the third and fifth lines are being planned. Line 3 will connect Madhavaram in the north to Siruseri in the south, passing through Perumbur, Chetpet, Royapettah, Mandaveli and Adyar. Line 5 will connect Madhavaram to Shollinganallur along the Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) via Kolathur, Maduravoyal, Valsaravakkam and Adambakkam.
Similar to the first phase where 55 per cent of the two corridors ran underground, phase two will see a bulk of the metro – 80 per cent – go underground. Phase one required 180 acres of land while phase two will require only 86 acres.
Most of the land to be acquired will be government land, owned by the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) and the Tamil Nadu Co-operative Milk Producer’s Federation Limited that operates under the brand Aavin.
In December last year, when the CMRL and Government of Tamil Nadu approached the Centre seeking funds for the second phase, the latter responded by asking why CMRL wanted to expand the metro when its ridership was so low.
Construction for the second phase is set to begin in 2019.