Lok Sabha Question No. 3404 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-20
Subject: Metro Rail Connectivity in Tamil Nadu
Ministry: HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS
Asked by: Shri Navaskani K, Shri C N Annadurai

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3404 TO BE ANSWERED ON MARCH 20, 2025

## METRO RAIL CONNECTIVITY IN TAMIL NADU

NO. 3404.

SHRI C N ANNADURAI: SHRI NAVASKANI K:

Will the Minister of HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) the  current  status  of  metro  rail  connectivity  in  Tamil  Nadu  in  terms  of operational and under-construction lines;
- (b) the  manner  in  which  Tamil  Nadu's  metro  rail  network  compare  with  the national figures;
- (c) the  details  of  the  steps  taken/being  taken  in  the  light  of  significant technological  advancements  witnessed  in  various  metro  rail  systems across the country during the last nine years to integrate similar innovation into Tamil Nadu's metro projects;
- (d) the  measures  implemented/being  implemented  to  ensure  that  metro  rail connectivity in major urban centres like Chennai aligns with growing urban mobility needs and supports sustainable transport solutions in the State;
- (e) the  details  of  the  funding  patterns,  project  monitoring  mechanisms  and accountability measures in place for metro rail projects in Tamil Nadu to prevent delays and ensure timely completion; and
- (f) the details of the future plans and timelines proposed by the Government for expanding and modernizing the metro rail network in Tamil Nadu? ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS (SHRI TOKHAN SAHU)

- (a),(b),(c),(e)&(f): Urban transport, which is an integral part of urban development, is a state subject. Hence, respective State Government/Union Territory (UT) is responsible for initiating and developing urban transport infrastructure including metro rail projects. The Central  Government  considers  financial  assistance  for  such  projects  in cities  or  urban  agglomerates,  based  on  feasibility  of  the  proposal  and availability  of  resources,  as  and  when  posed  by  the  concerned  State Government/Union Territory (UT).

At  present,  about  1,011  kms  of  Metro  Rail  Projects  are  operational  and 979.462  Kms  of  metro  rail  projects  (including  Delhi-Meerut  RRTS)  are under construction across the country. Presently, 54 km of Metro Network covered  under  phase-I  and  phase-I  extension  is  already  operational  in Chennai  and  on  118.9  km  of  metro  network  under  Chennai  Metro  Rail

Phase II project, the construction work is underway.

Chennai  Metro  corridors  provides  connectivity  to  major  city  centre  viz. airport,  railway  stations,  CMBT,  Mylapore,  Adyar,  Perambur  etc.  aligning with city's growing  urban mobility needs  and  providing sustainable transport system.

Funding to the project is in the form of equity, subordinate debt and Pass Through  Assistance.The  progress  of  project  is  regularly  monitored  by  a High Powered Committee headed by Chief Secretary Government of Tamil Nadu,  Board  of  Directors  of  Chennai  Metro  Rail  Limited  and  also  at different  levels  in  Central  and  State  Government  for  its  expeditious completion.

- (d) A number of advancements and technological innovations have taken place during the recent years in various  Metro Rail operational in the country. Some of the noteworthy technological advancements are:
- (i) Introduction of Namo Bharat Train- India's first State of Art Namo Bharat train with design speed of 180 kmph and operational speed of 160 kmph has  been  introduced  on  priority  section  between  New  Ashok  Nagar  to Meerut South Depot on Delhi- Meerut RRTS corridor;
- (ii) European Train Control System(ETCS) - World's first State of Art ETCS level  II  with  Hybrid  level-III  radio  based  train  signalingsystem  on  Long Term  Evolution  (LTE)  backbone    has  been  introduced  on  Namo  Bharat trains running between New Ashok Nagar to Meerut South Depot on DelhiMeerut RRTS corridor  enhancing passenger safety to a new level.
- (iii) Platform Screen Door(PSD) - For improved safety and to reduce the risk of accidents, PSD has been jointly developed by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) with National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC);

- (iv)  National  Common  Mobility  Card(NCMC)  -  One  Nation-One  card  i.e. NCMC work on all NCMC enabled transport systems in the country;
- (v) QR based Ticketing - QR based ticketing system has facilitated booking of tickets from Mobile based apps;
- (vi)  Unmanned  Train  Operations  (UTO)  -  For  improved  efficiency  and quality of service including better utilization of resources, UTO  is functional on Delhi Metro Rail Corporation;
- (vii)  Indigenous Automatic Train Supervision system (i-ATS) - India's first Indigenously  built  Automatic  Train  Supervision  System  developed  by  the combined efforts of DMRC and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) has been implemented on Red Line of Delhi Metro.

Out of  above  technology  improvements,  National  Common  Mobility  Card, QR  based  ticketing,  platform  screen  doors  etc.  have  been  provided  in Chennai  Metro  project.  In  addition,  Chennai  Metro  Phase-2  has  been planned for UTO operations.

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