The Blue Line is one of the two operational lines of

Chennai Metro The Chennai Metro is a rapid transit system serving the city of Chennai, India. Operated by Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) – a joint venture between the Government of India and the State Government of Tamil Nadu, the network consists o ...

apart from the Green line, in Chennai, India. The line stretches from to , covering a distance of . The line consists of 26

station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...

s out of which 13 stations are underground and the rest are

elevated An elevated railway or elevated train (also known as an el train or el for short) is a railway with the Track (rail transport), tracks above street level on a viaduct or other elevated structure (usually constructed from steel, cast iron, concre ...

or on ground level. In May 2018, operations on the blue line commenced between

Saidapet Saidapet, also known as Saidai, is a neighbourhood in Chennai, India, situated in the northern banks of the Adyar River and serves as an entry point to Central Chennai. It is surrounded by West Mambalam in the North, C.I.T Nagar in the North-Ea ...

and AG-DMS with the extended underground stretch from AG-DMS to

Washermanpet Vannarapettai () is a northern neighbourhood of Chennai, India. It is also known as Pazhaya Vannarapettai (), sometimes shortened as Vannai. It is located north of Parrys Corner and adjacent to Royapuram. Washermanpet is famous for its jewelr ...

of blue line commencing operations on 10 February 2019 completing the phase 1 of the metro. A Chennai Metro train at Alandhur station

Planning and construction

Phase I

In 2006, a modern metro rail system was planned for

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

modeled after the

Delhi Metro The Delhi Metro is a rapid transit system that serves Delhi and the adjoining satellite cities of Faridabad, Gurugram, Noida, Bahadurgarh, and Ballabhgarh in the National Capital Region (India), National Capital Region of India. The system cons ...

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is a centre-state joint venture that operates the Delhi Metro and Noida Metro. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is also involved in the planning and implementation of metro rail, monorail, and high-speed r ...

(DMRC) was tasked with preparing a detailed project report on the implementation of metro system in Chennai. Based on the report, the

Government of Tamil Nadu The Government of Tamil Nadu () is the administrative body responsible for the governance of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Chennai is the capital of the state and houses the state executive, legislature and head of judiciary. Under the Const ...

approved the first phase of the project in November 2007. The first phase was planned with two lines covering with being underground. The first corridor would connect

with

Chennai International Airport Chennai International Airport is an international airport serving the city of Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, India. It is located in Tirusulam in Chengalpattu district, in the Greater Chennai Metropolitan Area around southwest of the c ...

extending for with being underground. In December 2007,

Chennai Metro Rail Limited Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) is a centre-state joint venture that built and operates the Chennai Metro. It was established in 2007 and is headquartered in Chennai. CMRL is also involved in the planning and implementation of other metro r ...

(CMRL) was incorporated and the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

gave approval for the project in January 2009. The construction started in June 2009. In August 2010, the contract for supplying

rolling stock The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, Railroad car#Freight cars, freight and Passenger railroad car, passenger cars (or coaches) ...

was awarded to

Alstom Alstom SA () is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer which operates worldwide in rail transport markets. It is active in the fields of passenger transportation, signaling, and locomotives, producing high-speed, suburban, regional ...

. Test and trial runs happened on the Green line in 2013 and early 2014. After approvals from RDSO and the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety, commercial operations started between

Alandur Alandur is a zone of Chennai corporation, and an urban node in Chennai district in Guindy division in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is surrounded by Guindy in the north and east, Adambakkam in the south, Pazhavanthangal in the south-w ...

and Koyambedu stations on the green line in June 2015. On 21 September 2016, commercial operations commenced between

Airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

and Little Mount on the blue line. In May 2018, the blue line was extended between

and AG-DMS. On 10 February 2019, the underground stretch from AG-DMS to

of blue line was opened, completing the first phase of the metro.

Phase 1 Extension

A northern extension of the blue line running from Washermanpet to Wimco Nagar consisting of nine stations. Construction started in July 2016 with trial runs in December 2020. The line opened for passenger traffic on 14 February 2021, increasing the length of the operational metro system to .

Future plans

In 2021, CMRL proposed an extension to the first phase to connect the Airport with

Kilambakkam Kilambakkam is a suburban locality in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is located between Vandalur and Urapakkam along Grand Southern Trunk Road (GST Road). It is the entrance gateway for the Chennai City from the southern end. CMDA is constru ...

. Detailed project report for the project was submitted by CMRL in 2022. The As of October 2023, the project is awaiting funds.

Infrastructure

The trains are operated on double-tracked lines. The average speed of operation is and maximum speed is . Alstom supplies the rolling stock for the trains operated on the line. The trains are air-conditioned with electrically operated automatic sliding doors and have a first-class compartment with a dedicated section reserved for women. The trains operate on

25 kV AC Railway electrification systems using alternating current (AC) at are used worldwide, especially for high-speed rail. It is usually supplied at the standard utility frequency (typically 50 or 60Hz), which simplifies traction substations. The dev ...

traction

catenary In physics and geometry, a catenary ( , ) is the curve that an idealized hanging chain or wire rope, cable assumes under its own weight when supported only at its ends in a uniform gravitational field. The catenary curve has a U-like shape, ...

system. The trains are connected to the grid via overhead electric cables and are equipped with regenerative braking with a capacity to recover 30–35% of the energy during braking. The electricity is supplied by

Tamil Nadu Electricity Board Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (abbreviated as TNEB) is a power generation and distribution company owned by Government of Tamil Nadu, India. It was created as a regulated monopoly under section 131 of the Electricity Act (2003) as a successor of ...

Network

A total of 26 stations are operational along the blue line with 13 underground stations. In the underground sections, a walkway runs along the length with cross passages every for the maintenance and emergency evacuation. The underground stations have an average width of and average depth of from the ground level. The length of the stations in Phase 1 extension is . The elevated stations have three levels with the concourse level at a minimum height of above the ground level and platform level above the concourse while the underground stations have two levels with

platform screen doors Platform screen doors (PSDs), also known as platform edge doors (PEDs), are used at some train, rapid transit and people mover stations to separate the platform from train tracks, as well as on some bus rapid transit, tram and light rail ...

. The stations are air-conditioned and are equipped to be disabled and elderly friendly, with automatic fare collection system, announcement system, electronic display boards, escalators and lifts. Paid parking facilities are available for two wheelers in most stations and four wheelers in select stations. The line connects the northeast and the southwest ends of the city. The stations include: under construction

Operations

, the metro operates trains from 5 AM to 11 PM with an average frequency of one train every 5 minutes in peak hours and every 8 minutes in lean hours in the blue line. The main operational control center (OCC) is located in Koyambedu where the movement of trains and real-time CCTV footage obtained is monitored. In 2022, an elevated depot at Wimco Nagar covering an area of commenced operations with facilities for inspection, emergency repair and a washing plant. The minimum fare is 10 and the maximum fare is 50. There are six types of tickets issued by CMRL for travel in Chennai Metro.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chennai Metro - Line 1 Chennai Metro lines Railway lines opened in 2016