Chennai: Second Airport At Parandur Likely To Have Two Metro Stations

Parandur, the projected location for Chennai’s second airport, might have two metro stations.

A recently unveiled map by Tidco outlines the tentative locations of these stations, one on the city side and the other outside the passenger terminals.

The proposed 43.63-kilometer Poonamallee-Parandur metro line, featuring 19 stations, is designed to reach the airport from the south. The route would proceed along the projected Chennai-Bengaluru expressway before reaching a station on the city side. The line will then follow the western edge until it reaches a stop close to the multi-story parking lot.

A detailed feasibility report for this line, estimated to cost Rs 10,712 crore, was submitted to the state government in January. The planned stations on the route include Poonamallee, Nazarathpet Police Checkpost, Chembarambakkam, Thirumazhisai township, Pappanchathiram, Chettipedu, Thandalam, Sipcot Irungattukottai, Pennalur, Sriperumbudur, Pattunool Chatram, Irungulam Industrial Area, Mambakkam, Thirumangalam, Sunguvarchatram, Santhavelur, Pillai Chattiram, Neervalur, and Parandur airport.

According to the report by The Times of India, officials from Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) stated that the line’s alignment, the number of stations in Parandur and the total number of stations along the route will be finalized during the Detailed Project Report (DPR) preparation.

The tender for this process was floated in February. They also mentioned that the stations in Parandur will be spaced farther apart compared to those in the city, which are typically 1 kilometre apart.

The aim is to increase train speeds, allowing passengers to reach the airport more quickly. The Poonamallee-Parandur line is an extension of the 26.1-kilometre Lighthouse-Poonamallee Bypass corridor 4.

The Powerhouse-Poonamallee stretch of this corridor is expected to open by the end of 2025. Once the new airport is linked by metro, travellers from the city will have uninterrupted access to it.

Passengers can switch corridors at Alandur and Alapakkam from Meenambakkam to reach Parandur. By 2029, the airport’s first phase-which includes a runway, an international terminal, and a domestic terminal-should be finished.

The metro link to Parandur will benefit passengers arriving at Meenambakkam, as both airports are expected to be operational. The new airport’s larger airside space may attract more long-haul widebody international flights.

Thus, domestic passengers landing at Meenambakkam can use the metro to transfer to Parandur for flights to Europe or the United States.