Chennai's Second Airport: Detailed Report For Parandur Metro Connectivity To Be Ready By November

A metro rail route from Chennai's Poonamallee to the planned greenfield airport at Parandur, passing through Thirumazhisai and Sriperumbadur, is set to be finalised by November.

Amidst accelerated plans for Chennai’s second airport in Parandur, the state government recently convened a high-level meeting to discuss the development of the Poonamallee-Parandur Metro Rail corridor.

This initiative comes in response to concerns about commuter accessibility to the proposed Parandur airport in Kancheepuram district which is located approximately 60 km from Chennai’s existing airport.

Initially announced at an estimated cost of Rs 32,704.92 crore in 2022, the Parandur airport project raised environmental and logistical challenges regarding passenger transit.

To address these issues, the state government has expanded its Chennai Metro Rail Phase II project, focusing on establishing seamless connectivity to the new airport site.

Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has awarded a contract to Aarvee Associates Architects Engineers and Consultants Pvt Ltd for the preparation of the detailed project report (DPR) for this line. The contract is valued at Rs 1.74 crore, and the letter of acceptance was issued in June.

According to a Times Of India report, the preparation of the DPR will involve drilling 100 boreholes for soil investigation and conducting a topographical survey using drones along the entire route. An extensive alignment study will be conducted during the DPR stage to determine the total number of stations and land requirements.

"The assignment is expected to be completed by November 2024," the release stated.

The proposed corridor will span approximately 43.63 km and include around 19 elevated metro stations. This line will extend corridor 4 of phase-2 from Lighthouse to Poonamallee Bypass.

The DPR preparation takes into account recent developments such as the proposed new airport at Parandur, the proposed bus terminus at Thirumazhisai, and the future growth potential along the corridor.

The Union government has approved the development of Chennai’s second airport at the Parandur site.

Construction of the airport's first phase is set to begin in January 2026 and conclude by December 2028. The subsequent phases will follow, with the final phase expected to be completed by December 2046.