In the new year, the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) will open up the 9 km-long Washermenpet to Wimco Nagar metro rail line.
The new line will be operational from January 2021 and trial runs on the stretch will be conducted from December 24-26, Times of India reports.
The line has two underground and six elevated stations and is an extension of phase-1 corridor from Washermenpet to Airport through Anna Salai.
The CMRL will undertake several steps during the testing process like,
- The distance between the centre of the track and the nearest structure.
- The alignment post which a metro train will be operated manually.
- Signalling system by operating trains on the route daily.
The new link will be commissioned after inspection and approval of the commissioner of railway safety by the end of January which ensure that all safety measures are met and any error is corrected during the trial period.
The new line link places like Koukkupet, Tondiarpet, Thiruvottiyur and Wimco Nagar to the southern parts of Chennai through Anna Salai via this link.
Once the line will be fully operational, the 32 km commute from Wimco Nagar to the airport could now be covered in less than 90 minutes.
CMRL expects a rise of 30 per cent in daily passenger once the route is open for the public.