Chennai Metro is one of the most-used transportation systems in the city for mass travel. It connects various crucial landmarks and reduces commuting time significantly. Thanks to its well-thought-out layout, Chennai residents can skip the hassle of traffic and reach their destinations in no time! It won’t be wrong to say that the Chennai Metro project was the much-needed turbo boost that enhanced the urban landscape of Madras city!
Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) is a joint venture between the government of India and the government of Tamil Nadu. Though the inception of the operational lines happened in 2015, the planning started way back in time.
In 1931, Chennai had a single sub-network, a single metre gauge line that connected Chennai Beach to Tambaram. Subsequently, in 1985, two more lines were added connecting Chennai Central with Gummidipoondi and Arakkonam. However, a committee was set up and the team concluded that these existing lines were insufficient to combat the growing traffic woes. In 1995, the Phase 1 construction of the Chennai Mass Rapid Transit System commenced. The route runs from Chennai Beach to Thirumayilai. An extension route was added towards Velachery in 2007. Seeing how people were using Chennai metro more frequently, in 2015, the state and central governments decided to add three more lines to extend the network within the city.
Chennai Metro Network
Chennai metro network is very elaborate and connects most of the residential, industrial and IT areas in the city. You will see several commuters taking the trains from various stations to reach their respective destinations. There is never a dull day when it comes to Chennai metro and the hype is only going to get bigger!
Currently, the Chennai metro operates between two lines which are interconnected in certain stations. The blue line runs from Wimco Nagar Depot to Chennai International Airport and also provides swift access to key landmarks like Marina Beach and Chennai Central Railway Station. The green line runs from Chennai Central to St. Thomas Mount Operational lines, connecting the Guindy IT corridor with Alandur.
Three more operational lines are under construction – the purple line, the orange line and the red line. These new routes promise to connect different bustling neighbourhoods, residential spaces, tourist places and the commercial hubs of Chennai city.
The Chennai Metro Network is built in such a way that it doesn’t disrupt the roadways of Chennai and also smoothly weaves through the existing plan of the city. It uses the standard gauge railway network with double tracks. The metro routes have a total of 40 stations across the two lines, out of which 22 are underground stations. The elevated stations are 18 in number. You can enter the underground stations through platform screen doors and you’ll also see that they have walkways along with cross passages every 250 metres. These make maintenance and emergency evacuations fairly easy. They have a width of 200 metres and are 20 metres deep from the ground level.
The elevated platforms have three levels while the underground platforms have two levels. All the stations have refreshing air-conditioning, automatic fare collection systems, equipment for announcements, helpdesks, electronic display boards, maps to help travellers understand routes, escalators and lifts. With world-class modern technological facilities, the Chennai metro makes intercity travelling a breeze.
Operational Lines
Blue line (Wimco Nagar Depot to Chennai International Airport)
The blue line of the Chennai metro network connects the Wimco Nagar Depot with Chennai International Airport, making airport travel fast and secure. It has a total of 38 stations, out of which 26 were established during the Phase 1 construction while 12 station extensions were added during Phase 2. Out of the 26 that were constructed during Phase 1, 13 have elevated platforms while the other 13 have underground platforms.
The blue line aims to connect the northeast and southwest ends of the city.
Here is the list of stations –
| Station No. | Name of the Station | Type of Platform | Inter corridor connections |
| 1 | Wimco Nagar Depot | Elevated | No |
| 2 | Wimco Nagar | Elevated | No |
| 3 | Tiruvottiyur | Elevated | No |
| 4 | Tiruvottiyur Theradi | Elevated | No |
| 5 | Kaladipet | Elevated | No |
| 6 | Tollgate | Elevated | No |
| 7 | New Washermanpet | Elevated | No |
| 8 | Tondiarpet | Underground | No |
| 9 | Sir Theagaraya College | Underground | No |
| 10 | Washermanpet | Underground | No |
| 11 | Mannadi | Underground | No |
| 12 | High Court | Underground | No |
| 13 | Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. MG Ramachandran Central | Underground | Yes |
| 14 | Government Estate | Underground | No |
| 15 | LIC | Underground | No |
| 16 | Thousand Lights | Underground | No |
| 17 | AG – DMS | Underground | No |
| 18 | Teynampet | Underground | No |
| 19 | Nandanam | Underground | No |
| 20 | Saidapet | Underground | No |
| 21 | Little Mount | Elevated | No |
| 22 | Guindy | Elevated | No |
| 23 | Arignar Anna Alandur | Elevated | Yes |
| 24 | Nanganallur Road | Elevated | Yes |
| 25 | Meenambakkam | Elevated | Yes |
| 26 | Chennai International Airport | Elevated | Yes |
Extended Routes during Phase 2
| Station No. | Extension Stations | Type of Platform |
| 27 | Pallavaram | Elevated |
| 28 | Kothandam Nagar | Elevated |
| 29 | Chromepet | Elevated |
| 30 | Mahalakshmi Colony | Elevated |
| 31 | Thiru. Vi. Ka Nagar | Elevated |
| 32 | Tambaram | Elevated |
| 33 | Irumbuliyar | Elevated |
| 34 | Peerankaranai | Elevated |
| 35 | Perungalathur | Elevated |
| 36 | Vandalur | Elevated |
| 37 | Arignar Anna Zoological Park | Elevated |
| 38 | Kilambakkam | Elevated |
Green line (Chennai Central to St Thomas Mount)
The green line is the second route that was established during the Phase 2 construction and runs between Chennai Central and St Thomas Mount. It has a total of 17 stations out of which 9 stations are underground and 8 are elevated stations. The green line aims to connect the central, western and southern ends of Chennai metropolis.
Here are the stations in the green line –
| Station No. | Name of the Station | Type of Platform | Connections with other Routes/Stations |
| 1. | Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. MG Ramachandran Central | Underground | Blue Line, Chennai Park Suburban, Chennai Park Town, Chennai More Market Suburban |
| 2. | Egmore | Underground | Chennai Egmore Railway Station |
| 3. | Nehru Park | Underground | None |
| 4. | Kilpauk Medical College | Underground | Purple line |
| 5. | Pachaiyappa’s College | Underground | None |
| 6. | Shenoy Nagar | Underground | None |
| 7. | Anna Nagar East | Underground | None |
| 8. | Anna Nagar Tower | Underground | None |
| 9. | Thirumangalam | Underground | None |
| 10. | Koyambedu | Elevated | None |
| 11. | Puratchi Thalaivi Dr J. Jayalalitha CMBT | Elevated | Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus |
| 12. | Arumbakkam | Elevated | None |
| 13. | Vadapalani | Elevated | None |
| 14. | Ashok Nagar | Elevated | None |
| 15. | Ekkattuthangal | Elevated | None |
| 16. | Arignar Anna Alandur | Elevated | Blue line, Red line |
| 17. | St. Thomas Mount | Elevated | Red Line, St. Thomas Mount railway station |
Lines under construction
Purple line (Madhavaram Milk Colony to Sirusei SIPCOT 2)
The purple line or line 3 of the Chennai metro network will be constructed as part of the three-line establishment (purple, orange and red) under the Phase 2 plan. As we mentioned earlier, the green line is an extension of the blue line and the purple line along with the orange and red lines will stand as further extensions to cover more routes. The purple line will run from Madhavaram Milk Colony to Sirusei SIPCOT 2 and will have a total of 47 stations – 28 underground and 19 elevated.
The stations to be included in the purple line are –
| Station.No | Name of the Station | Type of Station | Connections with other Routes/Stations |
| 1 | Madhavaram Milk Colony | Underground | Red Line |
| 2 | Madhavaram High Road | Underground | None |
| 3 | Moolakadai | Underground | None |
| 4 | Sembiyam | Underground | None |
| 5 | Perambur Market | Underground | None |
| 6 | Perambur | Underground | Perambur railway station |
| 7 | Ayanavaram | Underground | Bus Terminus |
| 8 | Otteri | Underground | None |
| 9 | Pattalam | Underground | None |
| 10 | Perambur Barracks Road | Underground | None |
| 11 | Purasaiwakkam | Underground | None |
| 12 | Kellys | Underground | None |
| 13 | Kilpauk | Underground | Green Line |
| 14 | Chetpet | Underground | Chetpet railway station |
| 15 | Sterling Road | Underground | None |
| 16 | Nungambakkam | Underground | None |
| 17 | Anna Flyover | Underground | None |
| 18 | Thousand Lights | Underground | Blue Line |
| 19 | Royapettah | Underground | None |
| 20 | Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai | Underground | None |
| 21 | Thirumayilai | Underground | Thirumayilai railway station, Orange Line |
| 22 | Mandaiveli | Underground | Bus Terminus |
| 23 | Greenways Road | Underground | None |
| 24 | Adyar Junction | Underground | None |
| 25 | Adyar Depot | Underground | Bus Terminus |
| 26 | Indira Nagar, Chennai | Underground | None |
| 27 | Thiruvanmiyur | Underground | None |
| 28 | Tharamani | Underground | None |
| 29 | Nehru Nagar | Elevated | None |
| 30 | Kandanchavadi | Elevated | None |
| 31 | Perungudi | Elevated | None |
| 32 | Thoraipakkam | Elevated | None |
| 33 | Mettukuppam | Elevated | None |
| 34 | PTC Colony | Elevated | None |
| 35 | Okkiyampet | Elevated | None |
| 36 | Karapakkam | Elevated | None |
| 37 | Okkiyam Thoraipakkam | Elevated | None |
| 38 | Sholinganallur | Elevated | Red Line |
| 39 | Sholinganallur Lake I | Elevated | None |
| 40 | Sholinganallur Lake II | Elevated | None |
| 41 | Semmancheri I | Elevated | None |
| 42 | Semmancheri I | Elevated | None |
| 43 | Gandhi Nagar | Elevated | None |
| 44 | Navallur | Elevated | None |
| 45 | Siruseri | Elevated | None |
| 46 | Siruseri Sipcot I | Elevated | None |
| 47 | Siruseri Sipcot II | Elevated | None |
Orange Line (Lighthouse to Poonamallee Bypass)
The orange line or line 4 is another extension of the Phase 2 construction plan and extends between Lighthouse to Poonamallee Bypass. The route will have a total of 28 stations with 9 underground stations and 18 elevated stations.
| Station No. | Name of the Station | Type of Station | Connections with other Routes/Stations |
| 1 | Lighthouse | Underground | None |
| 2 | Kutchery Road | Underground | None |
| 3 | Thirumayilai | Underground | Thirumayilai railway station, Purple Line |
| 4 | Alwarpet | Underground | None |
| 5 | Bharathidasan Road | Underground | None |
| 6 | Boat Club | Underground | None |
| 7 | Nandanam | Underground | Blue Line |
| 8 | Panagal Park | Underground | None |
| 9 | Kodambakkam | Underground | Kodambakkam railway station |
| 10 | Kodambakkam Power House | Underground | None |
| 11 | Vadapalani | Underground | Green Line |
| 12 | Saligramam | Underground | None |
| 13 | Saligramam Ware House | Underground | None |
| 14 | Alwarthiru Nagar | Underground | Red Line |
| 15 | Valasaravakkam | Underground | Red Line |
| 16 | Karambakkam | Underground | Red Line |
| 17 | Alapakkam | Underground | Red Line |
| 18 | Porur Junction | Underground | None |
| 19 | Porur Bypass | Underground | None |
| 20 | Thelliyaragaram | Underground | None |
| 21 | Iyyapanthangal | Underground | Bus Depot |
| 22 | Kattupakkam | Underground | None |
| 23 | Kumananchavadi | Underground | None |
| 24 | Karayanchavadi | Underground | None |
| 25 | Mullaithottam | Underground | None |
| 26 | Poonamallee | Underground | Bus Terminus |
| 27 | Poonamallee Depot | Underground | None |
| 28 | Poonamallee Bypass | Underground | None |
Red Line (Madhavaram Milk Colony to Sholinganallur)
The red line or line 5 of the Chennai metro network extends from Madhavaram Milk Colony to Sholinganallur. This line runs over the beautiful Porur and Medavakkam flyovers and will also pass from above the to-be-built flyover between Mugalivakkam and Ramapuram. This line will have a total of 45 stations – 6 underground, 1 at grade level and 38 elevated stations.
| Station No. | Name of the Station | Type of station | Connections with other Routes/Stations |
| 1 | Madhavaram Milk Colony | Underground | Purple Line |
| 2 | Madhavaram Depot | At-grade | None |
| 3 | Assisi Nagar | Elevated | None |
| 4 | Manjambakkam | Elevated | None |
| 5 | Velmurugan Nagar | Elevated | None |
| 6 | Madhavaram Bus Terminus | Elevated | Madhavaram Mofussil Bus Terminus |
| 7 | Shastri Nagar, Chennai | Elevated | None |
| 8 | Retteri Junction | Elevated | None |
| 9 | Kolathur Junction | Underground | None |
| 10 | Srinivasa Nagar | Underground | None |
| 11 | Villivakkam | Underground | Villivakkam railway station |
| 12 | Villivakkam Bus Terminus | Underground | Bus Terminus |
| 13 | Villivakkam MTH Road | Underground | None |
| 14 | Anna Nagar West | Elevated | Bus Terminus |
| 15 | Thirumangalam Junction | Elevated | None |
| 16 | Anna Nagar KV | Elevated | None |
| 17 | Koyambedu | Elevated | Branch line(extension) |
| 18 | Koyambedu Market | Elevated | None |
| 19 | Natesan Nagar | Elevated | None |
| 20 | Virugambakkam | Elevated | None |
| 21 | Alwarthirunagar | Elevated | Orange Line |
| 22 | Valasaravakkam | Elevated | Orange Line |
| 23 | Karambakkam | Elevated | Orange Line |
| 24 | Alapakkam Junction | Elevated | Orange Line |
| 25 | Mugalivakkam | Elevated | None |
| 26 | Ramapuram | Elevated | None |
| 27 | Manapakkam | Elevated | None |
| 28 | Chennai Trade Centre | Elevated | None |
| 29 | Butt Road | Elevated | None |
| 30 | Arignar Anna Alandur | Elevated | Blue Line, Green Line |
| 31 | St. Thomas Mount | Elevated | Green Line, St. Thomas Mount railway station |
| 32 | Adambakkam | Elevated | None |
| 33 | Vanuvampet | Elevated | None |
| 34 | Ullagaram | Elevated | None |
| 35 | Madipakkam | Elevated | None |
| 36 | Kilkattalai | Elevated | None |
| 37 | Echangadu | Elevated | None |
| 38 | Kovilambakkam | Elevated | None |
| 39 | Vellakkal | Elevated | None |
| 40 | Medavakkam I | Elevated | None |
| 41 | Medavakkam II | Elevated | None |
| 42 | Perumbakkam | Elevated | None |
| 43 | Classical Tamil Institute | Elevated | None |
| 44 | Elcot Park | Elevated | None |
| 45 | Sholinganallur | Elevated | Purple Line |
The construction of lines 3, 4 and 5 is expected to complete by 2028.
People planning to visit Chennai soon can explore so many places here, including incredible museums that house the artefacts from the past.
Chennai Metro: Fares and Timings
The Chennai metro fares range from INR 10 to INR 50 depending upon the distance that you are travelling and the routes. From Monday to Saturday, the trains run from 4:30 AM to 11:00 PM.
However, these timings may be extended further under special conditions. For instance, owing to the Indian Premier League (IPL) season, Chennai Metro is expected to run till 1:00 AM at night to avoid traffic woes.
Future Expansions
The Chennai metro has helped the city avoid traffic jams and reach from point A to point B without sweating bullets. What started as a single line has now extended to a 5-line absolute perfection and the entire project is expected to be completed by 2028 (purple, orange and red lines). Though there are no more updates about further extensions, the state and central governments are eager to expand this network further. Right now, 63000 crores+ budget has been allocated for the purple, orange and red lines, making it one of the most ambitious projects in the country!
If you are planning to visit the marvellous city of Chennai soon, book your accommodation at hotels in Chennai that are close to the major metro stations. This will make intra-city travel easy and you can cover multiple tourist attractions within 2 or 3 days.
FAQs
1 – How many Chennai metro stations are currently available?
A – The Chennai metro network has 43 stations with 2 lines – blue and green.
2 – What are the timings of the Chennai Metro trains?
A – The Chennai metro network is functional from 4:30 AM to 11:00 PM.
3 – How frequently do the trains arrive in the Chennai metro stations?
A – The Chennai metro trains arrive approximately 7 minutes apart.
4 – When is the final train scheduled to operate on the Chennai metro network each day?
A – The last train on the Chennai metro network is scheduled to run at 11:00 PM. Operations cease thereafter until the following day.
5 – What kinds of items are not allowed on Chennai metro trains?
A – Passengers cannot carry firearms, knives or weapons on the Chennai metro trains.
6 – Which is the longest route on the Chennai metro network?
A – The Blue Line is the longest route on the Chennai metro network.
7 – How fast are the Chennai metro trains?
A – The Chennai metro trains travel at an average speed of 32-34 kmph.
Have you been on the Chennai metro before? Share your experience in the comments section below!
