Chennai: The proposed 52.94km metro rail extension from Poonamallee to Parandur has not been shelved despite uncertainty over the proposed greenfield airport. Chennai Metro Rail Ltd (CMRL) is moving ahead with approvals for the first phase from Poonamallee to Sunguvarchatram, covering 27.9km.The move comes even as the Parandur airport project remains in limbo. While the Union govt said it has not received any proposal from Tamil Nadu to shift the airport site, state officials have indicated that land acquisition has been put on hold and the project is under review, although the Centre’s in-principle approval remains valid.“The metro extension project is not dropped. The approval for the line up to Sunguvarchatram is in process,” a CMRL official said.The official said the Centre is processing all three proposed metro extensions — Airport-Kilambakkam, Koyambedu-Avadi and Poonamallee-Sunguvarchatram. “They are very positive on these three extension lines,” the official said.The original 52.94km elevated Poonamallee-Parandur corridor with 20 stations was estimated to cost ₹15,906 crore. The project was conceived in phases, with Poonamallee-Sunguvarchatram to be taken up in phase-1 and Sunguvarchatram–Parandur stretch to be taken up later in line with the airport’s development.The state govt had accorded in-principle approval and earmarked ₹2,126 crore in Sept 2025 for preparatory work on the first phase, including ₹1,836 crore for land acquisition.The Centre’s approval is now being sought for the ₹8,779-crore Poonamallee-Sunguvarchatram section, which will have 14 elevated stations. The corridor is expected to serve fast-growing residential areas, the Sriperumbudur industrial belt and the proposed Kuthambakkam bus terminus. Officials earlier said trains could operate at 80kmph on the corridor and be accelerated beyond 100kmph on the future Sunguvarchatram-Parandur stretch.Meanwhile, CMRL is awaiting a date from the Centre to inaugurate the first operational stretch of Phase II between Poonamallee Bypass and Vadapalani. The corridor will connect with the existing Phase I network at Vadapalani through an interchange station, providing seamless connectivity for commuters.“Even if the airport gets delayed, the metro line up to Sunguvarchatram should go ahead because we need an alternative and faster transportation to the city. Also, Sriperumbudur and Sunguvarchatram witness heavy traffic, and thousands of employees commute to the city daily. This corridor is needed regardless of what happens to the airport,” said R Indumathy, a resident of Sriperumbadur.
