CHENNAI: Metro commuters will have to switch platforms by taking the stairs or the escalator at Sholinganallur to move from corridors 3 to 5 as
Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has scrapped plans for a line to link the two.
Earlier, the plan was to operate a circular route of 81. 3km across 88 stations — Madhavaram-Koyambedu-Elcot-Thoraipakkam-Adyar-Madhavaram — with trains every 8. 5minutes. And passengers could go around this route in less than 2. 5hours. The 118. 9km three-corridor phase-2 is likely to be ready by 2026.
Without a direct train between corridors 3 and 5, a passenger from Adyar travelling to Medavakkam or Madipakkam will have to switch plat-forms at Sholinganallur. In phase-1, you can take the train to the airport from Central both via Koyambedu and via Anna Salai. The trains switch corridors through loop lines at Alandur metro.
ACMRL official said one of the main reasons for droppingthe plan for circular train operations was low ridership they expect on stretches such as Medavakkam on corridor 5 to SRP Tools on corridor 3 or from Adyar on corridor 3 to Alandur on corridor 5.
‘Can still operate circular routes when footfalls increase’
The 45.8km corridor-3 links Madhavaram Milk Colony to Siruseri Sipcot and the 47km corridor-5 connects Madhavaram Milk Colony with Sholinganallur.
“We can still operate circular routes if we want when the footfalls increase. For that, we are providing an additional line connecting both the corridors. Earlier, the plan was that trains will go from Elcot on corridor-5 to Okkiyam Thoraipakkam on corridor-3 directly by bypassing Sholinganallur.
Now, trains will go to Sholinganallur and come back,” said T Archunan, project director, CMRL. To provide the circular train operation, CMRL had planned three-column portals for 1km each on corridor-3 and 5for the construction of separate lines connecting Okkiyam Thoraipakkam on corridor-3 with Elcot on corridor-5 bypassing Sholinganallur, which is an interchange.
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