CHENNAI: Chennai Metro Rail has extended its operations by an hour as the Green Line between St Thomas Mount and Puratchi Thalaivar Dr M G Ramachandran Central Metro via Koyambedu resumed operations on Wednesday.
A Chennai Metro Rail spokesman said that the operations have been extended till 9 pm from Thursday considering several requests from the public with a peak hour (morning: 08:30 am to 10:30 am and evening: 5 pm to 8 pm) headway of five minutes and non-peak hour headway of 10 minutes.
Train services from Puratchi Thalaivar Dr MG Ramachandran Central Metro Station to Airport Metro Station via Koyambedu will resume from Thursday, said the spokesman.
Meanwhile, the Phase I extension project from Washermenpet to Wimco Nagar, which has been hit due to shortage of migrant workers, is likely to be completed by December.
The Phase-I extension from Washermenpet to Wimco Nagar built at an estimated cost of Rs 3,770 crore was to be ready for inauguration by June 2020. The work was hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many migrant workers left for their homes after the lockdown. Now with the lockdown easing, migrant workers will resume the operation, said sources.
The Phase-I extension covers a length of 9.051 km. Chennai Metro has planned to extend the Corridor-1 from Washermanpet to Wimco Nagar to provide a linkage with the suburban system of Southern Railway and increase the ridership. Construction of the extension project was delayed by five years as the Centre gave its approval only by 2016.
The plan is to benefit commuters from northern parts of the city with nine stations at Washermanpet, Korukkupet, Theagaraya College, Tondiarpet, Tollgate, Thangal, Gowri Ashram, Tiruvottiyur and Wimco Nagar. From Washermanpet till Korukkupet, trains will run underground and beyond that it will be an elevated corridor.