A view of the decorated Poonamallee bypass metro station on October 10, 2026.
| Photo Credit: B. Velankanni Raj
Six years since the work began, Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL)’s first train from Porur Bypass is all set to run till Poonamallee on Sunday morning (October 11, 2026) around 11.30 a.m., with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay among the first few commuters.
While the first stretch of CMRL’s Phase 2 network will be opened from Poonamallee to Vadapalani (15 km) for commuters, Mr. Modi and Mr. Vijay will travel from Poonamallee to Porur Bypass.
After the flag-off at 11:30 a.m., the phase 2 project will be inaugurated, along with a slew of various other projects at IIT-Madras around 2 p.m. Only after the event concludes around 4 p.m. will commuters be allowed to use the Poonamallee-Vadapalani stretch.
Initially, the Phase 2 train timings will be 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., unlike 5 a.m.-11 p.m. of the Phase 1 network. Sources said, this is to facilitate the construction of the stations from Porur Junction to Vadapalani – Alapakkam, Karambakkam, Valasaravakkam, Alwarthirunagar, Saligramam Warehouse, and Saligramam stations – at night.
In the initial period, 15 trains will be run from Poonamallee to Vadapalani, and commuters can access a train every 10 minutes during the peak hours (8 a.m.-11 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.) and one every 15 minutes in the non-peak hours (7 a.m.-8 a.m., 11 a.m.-5 p.m., and 8 p.m.-9 p.m.). The frequency will be improved once the civil work is completed in the six stations, sources said.
Work on the 118.9-km Phase 2 network began nearly six years ago, and after a ten-month delay, the train services will take off from Poonamallee to Vadapalani.
Timeline:
January 2019: The Tamil Nadu government accords in-principle approval for the phase 2 project.
November 2020: Union Home Minister Amit Shah lays the foundation stone for the phase 2 project.
July 2021: Piling work for the elevated stretch from Poonamallee to Vadapalani gets under way on Arcot Road.
October 2024: Cabinet approves the Chennai Metro Rail’s phase 2 project.
October 2024: The first driverless train arrives at Poonamallee depot.
March 2025: Chennai Metro Rail completes the viaduct between Poonamallee and Porur.
April 2025: Chennai Metro Rail operates a trial run from Poonamallee till Porur.
December 2025: The Railway Board approves the operation of the signalling system.
January 2026: Trial run carried out from Porur Junction to Vadapalani
February 2026: Commissioner of Railway Safety inspects the Poonamallee-Vadapalani stretch and gives only conditional approval.
May 2026: Commissioner of Railway Safety gives final authorisation for operations from Poonamallee to Vadapalani.
October 2026: Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate the first stretch of the phase 2 network
Published – October 11, 2026 12:10 am IST
