Chennai Metro begins its first ride...
After Delhi, Kolkata, Jaipur, Mumbai and Bengaluru, Chennai finally experienced its first metro ride yesterday. The first phase of the eagerly awaited CMRL project was inaugurated by CM-J Jayalalitha. The service was launched on the Alandur-Koyambedu sector gifting the public a mass rapid transport system. The first train having four coaches ran at 12:15 PM and was steered by a woman engineer, A Preethi.
Chennai Metro proposal gets approved
Delhi Metro's success made E. Sreedharan of DMRC propose a similar plan to the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Karunanidhi for the city of Chennai. The proposal was later dropped but Karunanidhi revived it. The State Cabinet finally approved the project on 7 November 2007, to be executed by Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) with an estimated budget of Rs 146 billion .
Where did the first metro in India start?
The first metro in India was inaugurated in Kolkata in 1984. It covered a distance of 16.45 km and was the fifth metro establishment in Asia.
Funding for the Chennai Metro Project
The proposed plan for Phase-I of the Chennai metro had a budget of Rs. 146 billion with a forecasted increase of 5% in 2007. But in 2014, the project cost had already exceeded Rs. 200 billion. 59% of the funding of this project was being done by Japan International Cooperation Agency, 20% by the Union government and 21% by the state government.
Metro work comes to a hault!
Metro construction work was suspended following an accident at the Pachaiyappa college site that killed a worker and left six injured. Work was to resume only after the Chennai Metro Rail Limited had completed a safety audit across 32 stations. K. Rajaraman, managing director, CMRL said, "Work has been suspended to put in tighter controls in place. We will have all the equipment re-certified."
Software engineer killed at metro construction site
A software engineer was killed on the spot when an iron rod fell on him at an under construction Metro Rail station near Officers Training Academy at St Thomas Mount. A loose iron rod piece hit him while falling from a height of 20 feet at the construction site. The deceased was going to his office on his bike when the accident took place.
Caves-in caused by metro tunneling gulps car
A car was gulped down by a crater more than 10 feet across on Poonamallee High Road. This happened after a combination of metro rail tunnelling and layers of loose soil apparently caused a sudden cave-in. The driver and the owner were saved by onlookers who pulled them up, while the vehicle was lifted out of the hole with the help of two cranes.
Chennai - open your wallets!
The Chennai Metro is the most expensive metro of the country so far. A commuter will have to pay Rs 40 for a 10 km journey which costs Rs 18 in Delhi and Rs 23 in Bangalore.
