Chennai Metro Rail to begin operations soon

 

Finally, clearance has been granted for commencing operation of the first Metro Rail service in the city between Koyambedu and Alandur, nearly six years after its launch. 

However, the clearance is conditional: from Koyambedu to Ashok Nagar, the trains can operate on two tracks (up and down) but beyond that point, both services will be on a single track up to Alandur. The Union Ministry of Urban Development communicated this to the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) authorities on Tuesday May 19,2015

“We have received the final clearance now to commence operations till Alandur. But before this, the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) will conduct an inspection from Ashok Nagar till Alandur. They are likely to visit by the end of this week or early next week,” an official of the CMRL said

CMRS authorities — whose clearance is statutory for commencing operations — came to inspect the facilities of this project twice in April. First, they inspected trains referred to ‘rolling stock’ in engineering parlance and subsequently the stations from Koyambedu to Ashok Nagar. 

While the trains were recommended sanction, the officials pointed to some technical glitches after inspecting the stations from Koyambedu to Ashok Nagar. 

Also, in November 2014, the trains of Chennai Metro Rail received another mandatory clearance from the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO)