Chennai's Future on Track as Driverless Metro Completes 10 km Trial Run

Chennai took a confident step into the future of urban transport with a successful 10-kilometre trial run of a driverless metro train between Poonamallee and Porur. This high-tech advancement comes as part of the ambitious Phase II metro expansion, which aims to transform how the city commutes.

This trial marks a major leap from the earlier three-kilometre test route and brings Chennai one step closer to fully automated metro travel. If all goes as planned, this stretch will be open to the public by December, giving thousands of daily commuters a faster and smarter travel option.

The excitement around the trial was palpable, as residents look forward to cutting down the long hours spent in traffic. The Phase II project spans 118.9 kilometres and is set to connect key zones like Madhavaram, Sholinganallur, Lighthouse, Poonamallee, and Siruseri. Of the total stretch, 76.3 kilometres will run elevated, while 42.6 kilometres will pass underground — a blend designed to ease congestion across the city’s growing population centers.

Currently, Chennai’s metro network covers 54.1 kilometres under Phase I, linking major locations such as the Airport, Chennai Central, Wimco Nagar, and St Thomas Mount. This existing network already sees monthly ridership exceeding 86 lakh passengers. With Phase II underway, the expansion is expected to provide much-needed relief to overburdened roads, especially in high-density regions like the IT corridor.

Local residents and professionals are optimistic about the upgrade. Easwaran Ram, a software engineer working in Porur, shared his enthusiasm: “When I visited Tokyo, I was amazed at how effortlessly people moved around the city using the metro. I hope Chennai becomes like that.”

Antony, an entrepreneur who commutes daily along the IT corridor, echoed the sentiment: “Today, it took me an hour and a half to travel just over 21 km by car. I’m counting the days until I can switch to the metro.”

With automation, efficiency, and convenience at the forefront, Chennai’s metro future is not just arriving — it's accelerating.