Take the alpha-route in phase-2 metro to cross the city in a single train journey | Chennai News
“We can operate a single train across the 2 corridors from Siruseri to Sholinganallur via Madhavaram,” a CMRL official said, adding, “Phase 2 is designed to support train operations at a frequency of 90 seconds. But the actual headway will depend on passenger footfalls and point crossings where trains switch tracks, which phase 2 has in several locations.”The official explained that when a train heads to Sholinganallur from Madhavaram via Porur, it must travel slightly ahead of Porur and switch tracks to head towards Medavakkam and Sholinganallur. “The time taken for such switching will be factored in while finalising train frequency,” the official said. Operating the alpha-route means commuters from Adyar or Nungambakkam can take a direct train to Koyambedu, Anna Nagar or Villivakkam via Madhavaram.The project includes three corridors — Madhavaram to Siruseri Sipcot II, Light House to Poonamallee Bypass, and Madhavaram to Sholinganallur. The first stretch, between Porur and Poonamallee on corridor 4, is expected to open in Jan 2026.Earlier, CMRL proposed an 81.3km long circular route linking Madhavaram, Koyambedu, Elcot, Thoraipakkam and Adyar. The loop, with an 8.5-minute turnaround, would have allowed commuters to travel around the city in less than 2.5 hours, covering 88 stations. But the inter-corridor link required for circular operations was shelved after studies showed low expected ridership on stretches such as Medavakkam–SRP Tools and Adyar–Alandur. The plan also involved constructing three column portals, each about 1km long, to link Okkiyam Thoraipakkam on corridor 3 with Elcot on corridor 5, bypassing Sholinganallur. This increased project costs and required demolition of several buildings in Sholinganallur.Under the alpha-route setup, passengers will instead interchange at major hubs such as Sholinganallur, switching platforms using stairways or escalators rather than relying on a looping service. “We can still operate a circular route in the future if footfalls increase. For that, we are providing an additional line connecting both corridors,” said T Archunan, project director, CMRL.
