The New Indian Express | All aboard, Chennai metro

May 28,2018

Commuters in the city can now travel across the town without the hassle of being refused by cab drivers and getting fleeced by auto drivers. The metro line between Chennai Central to the airport was inaugurated on Friday by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. The services were free to the public on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

It is exhilarating when a group of people experience something novel together. And Friday was no different. As the Metro halted at the underground station at Chennai Central to transport chattering families, grinning children and gleeful passengers, one could hear someone clapping, someone else gasping, and concerned parents telling their children not to get too close to the glass door at the station that would open up to the train.

One family with around 15 members entered the general compartment at Central station and spotted that the first class compartment, which has cushioned seats and is boxed in to segregate it from the general compartment, was empty. All the 15 members happily occupied the compartment and cheered on.
Soon, more eager locals boarded the train in the following two stations. Some women who had brought their children along for the joy ride complained about the lack of network on their mobile phones. They said they were not able to inform their families of their whereabouts. A few boisterous teenagers took selfies but were mighty disappointed when they realised that they could not upload the photos on Instagram or Facebook immediately. “We have to wait till the train gets to the elevated section to upload the photos,” a young girl said, grudgingly putting her glasses back on after posing for a photo with her sister.

The moment the train ascended onto the elevated track to approach the Koyambedu station, children began clapping, some started singing while others broke into a dance. Phones began buzzing again and cameras flashed. Everyone seemed relieved to see light after being in the dark for quite a while.

As we approached the last stop, parents made their children stand on the seats to get a better view of the airport. Stunning views on either side — on the left, the hills looked captivatingly scenic, and on the right, the airport building captured the pulse of hurried travellers. As the train halted at the last stop, one was reminded of the Mumbai local trains where jostling is the unwritten rule. Here, too, a fight broke out but when another passenger pointed out that the doors would close soon, the two men scrambled out of the train. The airport station made for a good vantage point for a viewing gallery of the airport and many parents used this opportunity to stand with their children and watch the different flights take off.
The metro is now functioning, but it is unlikely that such an experience can be relived once passengers have to pay for their tickets.

Metro commuters on inaugural weekend
50,000 : May 25
1,20,500: May 26
1.5 lakh: Commuters expected to take this metro line

Work in progress
Washermenpet: Likely to open by December 2018
Mannadi: Likely by Dec 2018
High Court: Likely by Dec 2018
Government Estate: Dec 2018
LIC: Dec 2018
Thousand Lights: Dec 2018
Total length: 23.1 km

Money spent
Work on the Chennai Metro Rail started in 2009. Initially, the estimated cost was around Rs 146 billion (Rs 14,600 crore) for Phase-I. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 85,047 crore.

While the Green Line is functional, the second Line is operational from airport to DMS.