New Delhi, 12th May, 2017: On 14th May, the Chennai Metro Rail Project (Phase I), underground section from Thirumangalam to Nehru Park, will be inaugurated, demonstrating the Government of Japan’s active support for “Smart City” initiatives in Chennai. The flag-off ceremony will be attended by Shri Edappadi K. Palaniswami, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, and Shri Venkaiah Naidu, Hon’ble Union Minister for Urban Development.
The newly-constructed underground stretch covers a distance of 7.4 kms. between Thirumangalam and Nehru Park, and comprises of five important stations, namely, 1) Anna Nagar Tower, 2) Anna Nagar East, 3) Shenoy Nagar, 4) Pachayappa’s College, and 5) Kilpauk Medical College.
The newly-inaugurated underground segment, which is 7.4 kms. long, would greatly help in mitigating the impact of mounting traffic in Chennai, along with the associated problems of increased traffic congestion, air pollution, road accidents and journey time.
Chennai Metro Rail Ltd. will organize the inaugural ceremony, which is scheduled to be attended by Mr. Kenko SONE, Minister (Economic & Development), Embassy of Japan, and Mr. Seiji BABA, Consul-General of Japan in Chennai.
Once completed, the Chennai Metro project is expected to have over 800 trains running daily in either direction, transporting an estimated 7 lakh people each day, by the year 2021. The Chennai Metro is integrated with other forms of public and private transport, including buses and suburban trains, to facilitate seamless travel by commuters.
Japan has extended 150,274 million Japanese Yen (approximately INR 9,000 crore) in concessional ODA loans over 4 tranches since 2008, for the development of around 45 kms. of Metro Rail system in Chennai. After adding Japan’s loan for Phase V, the cumulative Japanese ODA loan amount for Chennai Metro Project totals up to 183,595 million Japanese Yen (approximately INR 11,000 crores).
Through effective and timely project implementation, Japanese consulting firms and manufacturers, such as Yachiyo Engineering Co., Ltd., and Nippon Signal Co., Ltd., have been collaborating for the success of the project, by introducing cutting-edge methodologies such as project management, safety management, advanced automatic fare collection system, etc., so that the people of Chennai can enjoy safe, timely and comfortable journeys with highly reliable services, which are the typical characteristics of “quality infrastructure”.
For further information, please contact:
Embassy of Japan
Shintaro Hori
+91 11 46104610