The 14.6-kilometre Vadapalani–Poonamallee corridor under Chennai Metro Phase 2 is nearing completion. It is expected to reduce travel time between the two locations from nearly 90 minutes to around 30 minutes.

The corridor will connect Poonamallee, Porur and Vadapalani, with links to the existing metro network enabling travel towards Chennai Central and the airport. Integration with Phase 1 will connect commercial and residential hubs. Safety clearances are in place for initial operations; services are expected to begin soon, possibly in phases, before full-scale operations.

PM Modi is set to inaugurate the Vadapalani–Poonamallee stretch of Chennai Metro in July. The new stretch is expected to reduce travel time between the two areas from 90 minutes to 30 minutes.

Chennai Metro Rail’s Phase II Poonamallee-Vadapalani stretch underwent its fourth safety inspection since February on Wednesday. Trains ran from Poonamallee to Porur and Porur to Vadapalani to test signalling and integration between platform screen doors and train doors.

The Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety (CCRS) is likely to inspect the 14.6-km stretch on Saturday, including civil works between Porur and Vadapalani and signalling integration. The Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS), who first inspected the stretch in early February, identified issues and directed Chennai Metro Rail to address them. The CRS had limited trains to 15-minute frequency from Poonamallee to Porur and a maximum speed of 25 kmph from Porur to Vadapalani.

After completing civil works and trials and resolving signalling glitches, Chennai Metro Rail requested that the CCRS ease the restrictions. The CCRS may reinspect within three days before relaxing them. The stretch, part of Corridor 4 from Poonamallee to Light House, remains unopened after earlier service plans targeted December for Poonamallee-Porur and February for connectivity to Vadapalani.

Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) said construction bids for projects at Thirumangalam and Vadapalani were withdrawn after bidders submitted steep quotes. Revised bids were issued for Thirumangalam; the contract will be awarded after the election Model Code of Conduct is lifted. Vadapalani bids are expected shortly.

At Thirumangalam, a 3.85-acre development will combine four towers with a station on Chennai Metro Phase II’s 118.9-km, three-corridor network. The project is on Corridor 5, from Madhavaram to Sholinganallur via Thirumangalam and Medavakkam. The first and third towers will each have a ground floor, nine upper floors and three basements. The station will occupy the third and fourth floors of the second tower; the fourth tower will have a ground floor and two upper floors.

The 6.65-acre Vadapalani project on Arcot Road will redevelop a depot handling over 1,000 bus services daily as a transit hub. Plans include a bus terminal with five boarding bays and two alighting bays, passenger amenities, offices, parking, a food court and retail outlets.

The Madras High Court permitted Chennai Metro Rail Corporation (CMRL) and related agencies to build a skywalk connecting Metro Phase I and II and lay a sewage connection through Open Space and Recreation (OSR) land belonging to Trellis South Flat Owners Welfare Association in Vadapalani. Justice M Dhandapani ordered the skywalk to be completed within eight months and the sewage connection within four months, with both works finished by May 31, 2026. The land must be restored to its original condition after work. The association’s counsel, Karunakaran, and amicus curiae C Mohan raised no serious objections.

Flat owners gifted 19,421 square feet to the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority as OSR land in 2016; it was transferred to CMRL for the skywalk and other public facilities at Vadapalani metro station. The court had allowed the skywalk in 2022, but traffic congestion and other issues delayed it. Road works damaged the sewage line between the metro station and Vadapalani temple across 100-foot Road. CMRL and Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board inspections found laying a line through the OSR land the only feasible option.