With no funds coming even for Chennai Metro Rail’s Phase 2 project, the proposed Airport - Kilambakkam project is unlikely to be taken up now owing to financial crunch, sources said.
“The project has been temporarily put on hold and will be certainly taken up sometime later. As such, the State government has been funding the Chennai Metro Rail’s Phase 2 project. So, it will be difficult to invest in this project as well now,” a source said.
While Chennai Metro Rail’s Phase 1 and Phase 1 extension project extend to 54 km of the city and became operational a few years now, the 116-km Phase 2 project that is under construction at an estimated cost of ₹61,843 crore.
Meanwhile, Chennai Metro Rail Ltd. (CMRL) submitted the detailed project report for extending the line from Chennai airport till Kilambakkam to the State governemnt last year, with an estimated cost of ₹4,080 crore. The proposed line would run for 15.3 km via Pallavaram, Kothandam Nagar, Chromepet, Mahalakshmi Colony, Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, Tambaram, Irumbuliyur, Peerkankaranai, Perungalathur, Vandalur, Arignar Anna Zoo and Kilambakkam Bus Terminus.
Although the Phase 2 project was sent to the Centre for approval and funding, the CMRL had not received any response, sources said. Apart from the loans from international banks, the State government had been providing funds for the Phase 2 project. Hence, at this point, there were financial constraints to fund the Airport- Kilambakkam project, sources said.
“Once this project gets approved, land needs to be acquired after which the construction can start. By the time, the project is entirely complete, we estimate that it may take some years,” another source said.
