Chennai Metro’s new Yellow Line carried 25,474 passengers during its first five hours of commercial service on Sunday, giving the western suburbs an operational rail connection between Poonamallee Bypass and Vadapalani.
The 14.64-km elevated stretch, part of Corridor 4 of Phase II, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday and opened for regular passenger services at 4 pm. The initial ridership came as commuters looked for an alternative to road travel through areas that regularly experience traffic congestion.
The corridor has 11 stations connecting Poonamallee Bypass with Vadapalani through residential and commercial neighbourhoods, including Porur, Kattupakkam and Iyyappanthangal. The source report said that the station between Porur and Vadapalani was not yet operational. At Vadapalani, passengers can interchange with Chennai Metro’s existing Phase I network to reach other parts of the city.
Constructed at an approximate cost of Rs 4,900 crore, the stretch is intended to improve public transport connectivity across Chennai’s western suburbs. Its opening adds another link to the city’s expanding metro network while providing passengers in the corridor with a rail-based option for journeys that have traditionally depended heavily on roads.
Regular services on the stretch began at 7 am on Monday and are scheduled to continue until 9 pm. From Monday to Saturday, trains will operate every 10 minutes during peak periods, between 8 am and 11 am and between 5 pm and 8 pm. During non-peak hours, the frequency will be 15 minutes.
On Sundays and public holidays, trains will run at 15-minute intervals throughout the day. The operating schedule is intended to cover the main morning and evening commuting windows while maintaining services during the rest of the day.
The corridor has been designed for unattended train operation, but trains will initially run with two operators on board. Full driverless operations are expected by mid-2027, after testing and safety certification are completed.
The first-day ridership provides an early measure of demand for the new connection, although the report did not provide longer-term passenger projections or details of the expected ridership after all planned stations become operational. For now, the immediate operational milestone is the start of regular service on the Poonamallee Bypass–Vadapalani stretch, with driverless operations scheduled for a later stage following certification.
