Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to approve Chennai Metro Rail Phase 3 at the earliest, seeking extensions that would connect the airport with Kilambakkam and Poonamallee with Sunguvarchatram. The request came during a Sunday event in which railway, road and petroleum-related projects worth about Rs 13,000 crore were inaugurated or launched in the state.
Vijay also proposed an inter-state metro connection between Hosur in Tamil Nadu and Bommasandra in Karnataka, while asking the Centre to reconsider metro rail projects proposed for Coimbatore and Madurai. His requests place the next stage of Chennai’s rapid transit expansion alongside broader demands for regional connectivity across Tamil Nadu and its neighbouring states.
The Chief Minister thanked Modi for inaugurating the Chennai Metro Rail Phase 2 stretch from Poonamallee to Vadapalani and for laying the foundation stone for other infrastructure projects. He also referred to the announcement of high-speed rail corridors in the 2026 Union Budget and sought new routes linking Chennai with Kanyakumari and Coimbatore.
In the road sector, Vijay outlined priority projects that included the six-laning of key national highway sections. He also described the Godavari-Cauvery river interlinking project as a national priority, arguing that river interlinking was needed to improve water equity among states. The requests span urban transport, inter-city rail, highways and water resources, indicating the scale of the state government’s infrastructure agenda presented at the event.
Modi said development was his “mantra” and reaffirmed his commitment to Tamil Nadu’s progress. According to the report by Deccan Chronicle, the Prime Minister said that his experience as a former chief minister had helped him understand the expectations of states. He said governments may change, but his resolve to serve Tamil Nadu and its people remained steadfast.
The Prime Minister also referred to his work with successive Tamil Nadu chief ministers, including M Karunanidhi, J Jayalalithaa, O Panneerselvam, Edappadi K Palaniswami and M K Stalin. He said that his trust in people and cooperative federalism had strengthened during his time as head of government.
Beyond transport, Vijay requested that Tamil be made the principal language for proceedings in the Madras High Court and sought the release of Rs 5,110 crore in outstanding central funds under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan scheme without conditions. The event therefore combined immediate project inaugurations with requests requiring decisions from the Union government on approvals, funding and inter-state coordination.
The next milestones will depend on the Centre’s response to the proposed Chennai Metro Phase 3 extensions, the Hosur-Bommasandra connection and the reconsideration of metro projects for Coimbatore and Madurai. The report does not specify approval timelines, project costs or construction schedules for these proposals.
