The Tamil Nadu budget for 2021-22 was presented on Friday, August 13, and several expansions for the metro rail were announced by Finance Minister PTR Palanivel Thiaga Rajan during his first state budget presentation. The minister announced that Chennai city will get a new metro route from Kodambakkam to Poonamallee and that it will be functional by June, 2025. He also announced that the Meenambakkam Airport line will be extended to Killambakkam near Vandalur, via Tambaram and the government will initiate work on it.
While Chennai is set to get a metro route, the minister announced that a report will be released soon on the feasibility of introducing metro rail connectivity in Madurai. The state government is also set to take up the introduction of a metro rail in Coimbatore with the Union government soon.
The Tamil Nadu Finance Minister also announced that the second phase of the metro rail project expansion will be completed by 2026 and Rs 63,246 crore have been set aside for this. The Chennai Metro Phase II has three corridors spread over 118.9 kms. The three corridors are: Madhavaram to SIPCOT, Lighthouse to Poonamallee Bypass, and Madhavaram to Sholinganallur. When the project began in 2019, it was envisaged to be completed by 2025 and PTR has stuck to this timeline on his budget.
Services on the Kodambakkam to Poonamallee bypass section of the Metro Rail Project will be commenced within four years, by June 2025 and the entire Metro Rail Project Phase II will be completed by December 2026.
In parallel, this government will speedily take up the extension of the metro rail project from Airport to Kilambakkam Bus Terminus via Tambaram.
A detailed feasibility report for the Metro rail in Madurai will be prepared.