Chennai Metro phase 2 opening date: first 14.6 km stretch opened on 11 October
Published
Poonamallee Bypass to Vadapalani is now running, with fares of Rs 10 to Rs 40 and trains every 10 minutes. The next section, to Lighthouse, is expected in June 2028, but CMRL has not confirmed it.
Original report
The Chennai Metro phase 2 opening date has arrived for its first stretch: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 14.6 km Poonamallee Bypass to Vadapalani elevated line on 11 October 2026, The Federal reported (The Federal, 2026). Regular passenger service began at 7 am on 12 October (The Federal, 2026).
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay rode the train with the Prime Minister, according to the same report. The stretch cost about Rs 4,900 crore (The Federal, 2026).
The next section on this line, Vadapalani to Lighthouse, is expected in June 2028, according to Wikipedia's entry for the line (Wikipedia, 2026). That is an estimate, not a date from Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL). Here is what is running now and what comes next.
The first 14.6 km opened on 11 October
The Poonamallee Bypass to Vadapalani stretch has 11 elevated stations, The Federal and DT Next reported (The Federal, 2026; DT Next, 2026).
On opening day, trains ran from 4 pm to 9 pm. From 12 October, the regular timing is 7 am to 9 pm, The Federal reported (The Federal, 2026).
The route includes a 3.7 km double-decker section, according to both outlets (The Federal, 2026; DT Next, 2026). Final safety approval came in May 2026, five months before the opening.
What it costs to ride is the next question.
Fares run from Rs 10 to Rs 40
Tickets cost between Rs 10 and Rs 40, DT Next reported before the opening (DT Next, 2026).
About 15 trains run at 10-minute intervals, according to the same report (DT Next, 2026).
A 10-minute interval is 6 trains an hour across a 14-hour service day, by our arithmetic. Commuters should check CMRL for peak-hour changes, which our sources do not cover.
The opening is one piece of a much larger plan.
The open stretch is about 12% of Phase 2
Phase 2 covers 118.9 km in total, DT Next reported (DT Next, 2026).
The 14.6 km now open is about 12% of that, by our arithmetic. At about Rs 4,900 crore, it works out to roughly Rs 336 crore per km.
So most of Phase 2 is still being built. The next opening date that is on record covers the rest of this line.
Vadapalani to Lighthouse is expected in June 2028
The remaining Vadapalani to Lighthouse section is 11.5 km long, with 16 stations, 10 of them underground, Wikipedia's entry for the line says (Wikipedia, 2026).
It is expected in June 2028, the same entry says (Wikipedia, 2026). We found no CMRL statement confirming that date in the sources we read.
When it opens, the line would run from Poonamallee Bypass to Lighthouse.
What we don't know yet
- CMRL's own date for the Vadapalani to Lighthouse section.
- The next opening dates for the other Phase 2 corridors.
- Peak-hour train frequency, if it differs from the 10-minute interval.
Questions people are asking
Has Chennai Metro Phase 2 opened?
Its first stretch has. Poonamallee Bypass to Vadapalani opened on 11 October 2026, with regular service from 12 October (The Federal, 2026).
What is the fare on Chennai Metro Phase 2?
Rs 10 to Rs 40, DT Next reported (DT Next, 2026).
When will Vadapalani to Lighthouse open?
June 2028 is the expected date, according to Wikipedia; CMRL has not confirmed it in the sources we read (Wikipedia, 2026).
How often do Chennai Metro Phase 2 trains run?
Every 10 minutes, with about 15 trains in service, DT Next reported (DT Next, 2026).
References
- DT Next (2026) PM Modi to inaugurate Poonamallee to Vadapalani metro phase 2 on Oct 11. DT Next. Available at: PM Modi to inaugurate Poonamallee to Vadapalani metro phase 2 on Oct 11 (Accessed: 14 October 2026).
- The Federal (2026) Modi inaugurates Poonamallee-Vadapalani stretch of Chennai Metro, rides with CM Vijay. The Federal. Available at: Modi inaugurates Poonamallee-Vadapalani stretch of Chennai Metro, rides with CM Vijay (Accessed: 14 October 2026).
- Wikipedia (2026) Yellow Line (Chennai Metro). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: Yellow Line (Chennai Metro)) (Accessed: 14 October 2026).
How we did this
We built the timeline of the first Phase 2 opening from The Federal's inauguration report and DT Next's pre-opening report, and set the open stretch against the full Phase 2 length. We worked out the share opened, the cost per km and the trains per hour ourselves; the working is shown in the text. The June 2028 date comes from Wikipedia's Yellow Line entry), not from CMRL, so we label it as an estimate.
This story was produced, reviewed, edited and verified by the reporter before publication, with AI assistance where required.
Covered by 3 outlets across the spectrum: 67% left, 33% center, 0% right.
Who is covering this story
- Left-leaning (2): The Federal, DT Next
- Center (1): Wikipedia
Sources
- Yellow Line (Chennai Metro) - Wikipedia — Wikipedia (center) ·
- Modi inaugurates Poonamallee-Vadapalani stretch of Chennai Metro, rides with CM Vijay — The Federal (left-leaning) ·
- PM Modi to inaugurate Poonamallee to Vadapalani metro phase 2 on Oct 11 — DT Next (left-leaning) ·