The Madurai Metro Rail project is making significant progress as Detailed Project Report (DPR) is expected to be completed by June.
The metro’s construction will begin in 2024 and will likely be finished by the end of 2027, according to MA Siddique, the Managing Director of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL).
Madurai is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, with a history that dates back over 2,500 years. It is the state’s second largest city in terms of area and third largest in terms of population.
The Phase-I metro project is planned for a distance of 31km (from Thirumangalam to Othakadai) with 18 stations, 14 will be elevated and four will be underground.
The metro will have 26 km on an elevated stretch, while the remaining five kilometres will pass through areas near temples on an underground stretch.
“As Madurai is an ancient city, to preserve its heritage, the route from Goripal ayam to Vasantha Nagar in front of Meenakshi Amman temple will be tunnelled under Vaigai river, ” said Siddique, reports Economic Times.
The project is expected to cost approximately Rs 8,500 crore with 20 per cent contribution of central and state governments and 60 per cent external financial contribution.
According to a CMRL press release, the DPR will give details on the traffic research, cost breakdown, social and economic impacts, and the implementation strategy for the project.
The state government had floated a tender costing Rs 3 crore for preparing the DPR for Madurai metro in February, 2023.
According to the feasibility report that was submitted to the government, the city would get Metro Lite, instead of the conventional metro coaches, as Metro Lite can be considered either an enhanced tram or a downgraded metro. Each train would have three coaches.
The second phase of the Madurai metro rail project will include the construction of a metro station at Madurai International Airport that will connect the city.
At present, Chennai is the only city in Tamil Nadu that has a metro. Madurai and Coimbatore are the two other cities in which metro services are being planned.