For the Chennai Metro Rail's Phase I project, NITI Aayog has authorised the purchase of 28 more trains, marking a significant advancement in urban transportation. This choice is a major step towards increasing the metro network's capacity and effectiveness in the city. The clearance, according to representatives of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), enables them to buy more trains to run the 54 KmPhase I network. "The Department of Economic Affairs and the Department of Finance will thereafter receive the project proposal. We can apply for loan help from foreign banks if they advise it, an official said. Two corridors, Corridor-1 from Washermenpet to the airport and Corridor-2 from Chennai Central to St. Thomas Mount, make up the length of the Chennai Metro Rail project's Phase I. Currently, the Chennai Metro Rail system handles over 270,000 people per day. Commuters are calling for more frequency, nevertheless, as a result of growing congestion during peak hours. The other legs have a frequency ranging from 6 to 12 minutes, with the exception of the section between Alandur and Washermanpet, where trains operate every three minutes. CMRL executives underlined the need for more trains in order to remedy this. In response to these worries, CMRL hired a consultant who carried out an extensive analysis and suggested that, taking into account the growing number of passengers, 28 six-coach trains be purchased for Phase I. The project's overall cost would be Rs 28.20 billion due to the renovations that must be made to the station amenities in addition to the new trains. A foreign bank has expressed interest in sponsoring the project, according to a story in The Hindu. "We anticipate receiving permission from the Department of Finance and the Department of Economic Affairs next month, after NITI Aayog's clearance. We will then move forward with obtaining finance. The manufacturing and delivery of the trains to the city for use in operations might take up to two years, the source continued. In Phase 1, elevated corridors make up the remaining 55% of the total number of corridors. Thirteen of the thirty-two stations are elevated, and the other nineteen are subterranean. Beginning in 2015, the Chennai Metro Phase I was opened gradually, with the last section opening on February 10, 2019. The whole Rs 86.46 billion credit for the Phase I project has been extended by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
