Chennai Metro Rail Limited has redesigned the elevated metro rail line to run parallel to the proposed elevated IT Expressway to reduce construction and operational cost and build the line faster. The metro rail line will run 20km from Nehru Nagar to Siruseri Sipcot with 19 stations. The redesign, which has already been approved by the government, is expected to reduce construction costs by approximately ₹250 crore in addition to the operational cost. Work on the 118.9km phase- 2 is expected to be completed around 2025. While the 10km stretch from Nehru Nagar to Sholinganallur is expected to be ready along with most elevated stretches of phase-2 in 2025, the line from Sholinganallur to Siruseri Sipcot will be ready within a gap of a few months. The new line will still be a roller coaster ride for commuters as it would start at 15m from the road level, reaching a maximum height of 25m. The redesigned metro line will be in the centre of OMR with a minimum height of 12m to 15m starting from Nehru Park and the Expressway will run either side of this corridor. The columns will be around 1.2m diameter, as such the width of the service road on OMR will not be affected by the elevated expressway. Experts say that the Expressway may still bring more vehicles on the road but if CMRL provides good first mile and last mile connectivity on the entire stretch, it will encourage car and bike users to park vehicles at metro stations and take trains to work.
