Chennai Metro rail to be launched next March: Venkaiah Naidu

 The Chennai Metro Rail will be launched in March next year between Koyambedu and Alandur section, Union Minister for Urban Development M Venkaiah Naidu said here today.
"Metro Rail will be operational by March 2015," Naidu told reporters after a spot assessment and a review meeting with top officials here. Though the Metro Rail authorities are hopeful that the project could be launched in December this year itself, the minister said "on the safer side, it would be operational by March 2015".

The metro rail network will have facilities like food courts and ATM, Naidu said. Hailing the project as an "engineering marvel," he said cue must be taken from Kochi and cost escalation should be avoided in the Rs.14,600 crore Chennai project. The request of the State government to extend the metro rail network upto Tiruvottiyur would be considered, he added. On the request for taking up the Mass Rapid Transit System rail network by Metro Rail, he said it has to be discussed with railway authorities. Asked about the support for the proposed MonoRail network in Chennai, he said it would be considered.