The Indian city of Chennai opened the first section of its metro Yellow Line on 11 October, with around 15 kilometres of elevated track and 11 stations between Poonamallee Bypass and Vadapalani. The new line connects the western suburbs with the rest of the network and shortens commutes to the centre.
Demand was immediate: 25,474 journeys were recorded in the first five hours of operation alone. With this opening, Chennai’s metro network now extends to 68.7 kilometres.
The Alstom-built trains are designed for driverless operation at up to 80 km/h, recover energy when braking and offer real-time passenger information. All stations have platform screen doors.
Work continues to extend the line by a further 11.4 kilometres to Light House. Once complete, the Yellow Line will be 26 kilometres long with 28 stations, ten of them underground.
