Chennai Metro Rail Inches closer To Second Airport connectivity: Bids Received For Detailed Project Report

The long-awaited metro rail link from Poonamallee Bypass to the upcoming Parandur airport near Chennai is moving closer to realisation, with plans expected to be finalised within a year.

Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has received bids from five firms to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for the proposed 43.63km line, which will feature 19 stations.

The bidding firms include Aarvee Associates Architects Engineers and Consultants Pvt Ltd, AECOM India Pvt Ltd, Balaji Railroad Systems Pvt Ltd, Systra MVA Consulting (India) Pvt Ltd, and Urban Mass Transit Company Ltd.

The tender for DPR preparation was floated in February with a stipulated six-month deadline. An official from CMRL stated, “Bids are under technical evaluation. The financial bid process will follow, and the lowest bidder will be selected. This could take a couple of months.”

The DPR will encompass key details such as the line's length, corridor type (elevated, underground, or at-grade), station locations, depot details, train specifications, ridership projections, last-mile connectivity, and the total estimated cost. Previously, the project was estimated to cost Rs 10,712 crore.

The new line will extend from the 26.1km Lighthouse-Poonamallee Bypass corridor-4, a section of which is expected to be operational before the end of 2025. A map released by TIDCO (Tamilnadu Industrial Development Corporation Limited) indicates that Parandur will likely have one metro station on the city side of the airport and another outside the passenger terminal, reports Times Of India.

During the feasibility study, the proposed stations along the route included Poonamallee, Nazarathpet Police Checkpost, Chembarambakkam, Thirumazhisai township, Pappanchathiram, Chettipedu, Thandalam, Sipcot Irungattukottai, Pennalur, Sriperumbudur, Pattunool Chatram, Irungulam Industrial Area, Mambakkam, Thirumangalam, Sunguvarchatram, Santhavelur, Pillai Chattiram, Neervalur, and Parandur airport.

The line will approach the airport from the south, traverse the proposed Chennai-Bengaluru expressway, and access a station on the city side. It will then proceed along the western perimeter, turning right towards another station near a multi-level parking lot. Stations on this line may be spaced further apart than those in the city, which are typically 1km apart, allowing for potentially higher train speeds.

Once the metro rail link to Parandur becomes operational, passengers will have uninterrupted metro connectivity to the airport. Additionally, travellers can switch corridors at Alandur and Alapakkam metro stations to travel between Meenambakkam airport and the new Parandur airport.

The first phase of the Parandur airport, featuring a domestic terminal, international terminal, and runway, is slated for completion by 2029.

Chennai’s second airport in Parandur

The state Chief Minister M K Stalin announced that a greenfield airport would be built in Parandur, located around 15 km northeast of the popular Hindu pilgrimage city, Kanchipuram.

The new airport is planned at an investment of Rs 20,000 crore with a capacity to handle 100 million passengers per annum.

Tamil Nadu's Minister of Industries, Thangam Thennarasu, said that the construction of the proposed Parandur Greenfield Airport would be completed by 2028.

The project is expected to have an investment-to-return ratio of Rs 100 to Rs 325.

Chief Minister Stalin stated that both, the existing airport at Meenambakkam and the upcoming airport at Parandur, would function simultaneously, catering to the rapidly increasing demand in the civil aviation sector.