Phase II to have three and six-coach Metro trains

Three-coach and six-coach trains will make their debut in phase II project of the Chennai Metro Rail that will begin soon. At present, Metro Rail has four-coach trains in the phase I project which covers 45 km.

According to officials of the Chennai Metro Rail Ltd (CMRL), they decided to have three-coach trains initially, because they don’t expect a huge passenger traffic. Hence, it will be efficient to operate three-coach trains.

Number of coaches

“Later, when many stretches of phase II project become operational, six-coach trains will be required, because when more places are connected, passenger traffic will increase manifold,” an official said. But it is not clear how many three-coach and six-coach trains will be bought for the phase II project.

For the phase I project, the Chennai Metro Rail has 42 trains — nine manufactured in Sao Paulo , Brazil, and 33 in Sri City near Chennai. Also, ten four-coach trains have been purchased for the phase I extension project that will operate for nine km in north Chennai from Washermanpet to Wimco Nagar.

Sources said it is unlikely that the three-coach trains will have a first class coach. Two doors maybe earmarked for women commuters to board the train or half a coach. In its phase I, Chennai Metro has a special class and a separate coach for women.

While the Bengaluru Metro Rail has three-coach and six-coach trains, the Delhi Metro Rail had four-coach trains initially and went up to six and eight coaches when the traffic increased.