Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the Chennai Metro Rail Phase 2 on October 11, 2026. He will share a ride with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay from Poonamallee to Porur Bypass at 11.30 a.m. After the event, commuters can use the new stretch between Poonamallee and Vadapalani.
Six years since the work began, Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL)’s first train from Porur Bypass is all set to run till Poonamallee on Sunday morning (October 11, 2026) around 11.30 a.m., with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay among the first few commuters.
While the first stretch of CMRL’s Phase 2 network will be opened from Poonamallee to Vadapalani (15 km) for commuters, Mr. Modi and Mr. Vijay will travel from Poonamallee to Porur Bypass.
After the flag-off at 11:30 a.m., the phase 2 project will be inaugurated, along with a slew of various other projects at IIT-Madras around 2 p.m. Only after the event concludes around 4 p.m. will commuters be allowed to use the Poonamallee-Vadapalani stretch.
Initially, the Phase 2 train timings will be 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., unlike 5 a.m.-11 p.m. of the Phase 1 network. Sources said, this is to facilitate the construction of the stations from Porur Junction to Vadapalani – Alapakkam, Karambakkam, Valasaravakkam, Alwarthirunagar, Saligramam Warehouse, and Saligramam stations – at night.
In the initial period, 15 trains will be run from Poonamallee to Vadapalani, and commuters can access a train every 10 minutes during the peak hours (8 a.m.-11 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.) and one every 15 minutes in the non-peak hours (7 a.m.-8 a.m., 11 a.m.-5 p.m., and 8 p.m.-9 p.m.). The frequency will be improved once the civil work is completed in the six stations, sources said.
Work on the 118.9-km Phase 2 network began nearly six years ago, and after a ten-month delay, the train services will take off from Poonamallee to Vadapalani.