Take the alpha-route in phase-2 metro to cross the city in a single train journey

Chennai: In a couple of years, passengers will be able to go around the city, from the southern suburbs to the north and back in about 2.5 hours, as Chennai Metro Rail Ltd is set to adopt a direct alpha-route across two corridors instead of a circular loop. Metro trains will run from Siruseri to Madhavaram on corridor 3 and from Madhavaram to Sholinganallur on corridor 5 by crossing over to another track, instead of making passengers switch platforms. The alignment, which resembles the Greek symbol alpha, will span the entire 118.9km phase 2 network, covering all 118 stations.
"We can operate a single train across the 2 corridors from Siruseri to Sholinganallur via Madhavaram," a CMRL official said, adding, "Phase 2 is designed to support train operations at a frequency of 90 seconds. But the actual headway will depend on passenger footfalls and point crossings where trains switch tracks, which phase 2 has in several locations."The official explained that when a train heads to Sholinganallur from Madhavaram via Porur, it must travel slightly ahead of Porur and switch tracks to head towards Medavakkam and Sholinganallur. "The time taken for such switching will be factored in while finalising train frequency," the official said. Operating the alpha-route means commuters from Adyar or Nungambakkam can take a direct train to Koyambedu, Anna Nagar or Villivakkam via Madhavaram.The project includes three corridors — Madhavaram to Siruseri Sipcot II, Light House to Poonamallee Bypass, and Madhavaram to Sholinganallur. The first stretch, between Porur and Poonamallee on corridor 4, is expected to open in Jan 2026.Earlier, CMRL proposed an 81.3km long circular route linking Madhavaram, Koyambedu, Elcot, Thoraipakkam and Adyar. The loop, with an 8.5-minute turnaround, would have allowed commuters to travel around the city in less than 2.5 hours, covering 88 stations. But the inter-corridor link required for circular operations was shelved after studies showed low expected ridership on stretches such as Medavakkam–SRP Tools and Adyar–Alandur. The plan also involved constructing three column portals, each about 1km long, to link Okkiyam Thoraipakkam on corridor 3 with Elcot on corridor 5, bypassing Sholinganallur. This increased project costs and required demolition of several buildings in Sholinganallur.Under the alpha-route setup, passengers will instead interchange at major hubs such as Sholinganallur, switching platforms using stairways or escalators rather than relying on a looping service. "We can still operate a circular route in the future if footfalls increase. For that, we are providing an additional line connecting both corridors," said T Archunan, project director, CMRL.Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Happy New Year wishes, messages, and quotes !