CHENNAI: One of Chennai’s most complex new transport structures — a double-decker viaduct carrying metro trains above a major arterial road — will come under live testing on Sunday as Chennai Metro Rail conducts the first trial run on the Porur–Vadapalani stretch of its Phase II expansion.
Chennai Metro Rail said the trial run, scheduled for January 11, follows the completion of initial traction testing and electrification works, which are expected to conclude by Friday midnight. Integrated system testing, covering rolling stock movement, power supply and signalling interfaces, will continue through Saturday, with the timing of Sunday’s run to be announced later.
The Porur–Vadapalani section is notable not only for being among the first Phase II stretches to enter the trial stage, but also for incorporating a double-decker design — a relatively rare solution in Indian urban rail projects. The structure allows metro infrastructure to be layered above an existing road corridor, reducing the need for land acquisition while preserving surface traffic capacity in a densely built part of the city.
Connectivity along the Porur–Vadapalani corridor carries particular urban significance. The stretch cuts across heavily congested east–west routes linking western suburbs with central Chennai, serving dense residential neighbourhoods, educational institutions, healthcare clusters, and emerging commercial pockets.
The corridor has been executed using round-the-clock shifts involving several hundred engineers, technicians and contract workers across civil, electrical and signalling disciplines. The corridor is likely to be put into use for commuters by February.