The Poonamallee-Vadapalani Metro corridor was at the centre of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Chennai visit on Sunday, with the Bharatiya Janata Party arranging a welcome event at Porur and planning a metro journey for Modi and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam leader Vijay.
According to a report by DT Next, citing Thanthi TV, a display depicting Tamil poet and philosopher Thiruvalluvar in saffron attire was placed among the BJP’s arrangements to welcome the Prime Minister at Porur. The display formed part of the party’s preparations along the route of Modi’s visit.
Modi arrived in Chennai from Delhi to attend a series of official programmes, including the scheduled inauguration of the Poonamallee-Vadapalani Metro Rail corridor. The newly constructed corridor has been built at a reported cost of Rs 750 crore, according to the report.
Following the welcome event, Modi and Vijay were scheduled to travel by metro from Porur to Poonamallee on the new corridor. The planned journey places the operational infrastructure itself at the centre of the visit, while also providing a public demonstration of the route connecting the western Chennai suburbs.
The corridor’s inauguration is part of a broader schedule that includes the Prime Minister’s visit to the IIT Madras campus at 12.15 pm. He is scheduled to offer prayers at the Jalakandeswarar Temple on the campus and visit the Brain Research Centre before attending an event where various development projects in Tamil Nadu are expected to be inaugurated, launched or dedicated to the nation.
The IIT Madras programme is also expected to include the laying of foundation stones for new projects and an address by the Prime Minister. The source report does not provide further details of the projects listed for the event.
The visit has led to extensive security and route arrangements across parts of Chennai. Security measures have been put in place along the routes connecting Chennai airport, Porur Metro station, IIT Madras and Nandambakkam. The Tamil Nadu BJP has also organised welcome arrangements along these stretches.
For Chennai’s public transport network, the scheduled inauguration marks a significant administrative milestone for a corridor intended to strengthen connectivity across the city’s western side. The available report does not specify the corridor’s station count, opening date for regular passenger services, fares or service frequency. Those operational details will determine how quickly commuters can begin using the new line and how it connects with the wider Chennai Metro network.
The next formal milestones are the planned inauguration of the Poonamallee-Vadapalani corridor, the scheduled metro journey from Porur to Poonamallee and the development-project event at IIT Madras.
