In yet another step towards the launch of operations, Chennai Metro Rail will be finally tested by Commissionerate of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) by the end of this month, according to its officials.
The certificate by CMRS is a mandatory requirement to begin the first service of the Chennai Metro Rail on the 10-km stretch from Koyambedu to Alandur.
“CMRS officials may come by for a visit on March 20 and inspect the facilities for a week. The certificate of approval to begin operations may come in about two weeks,” an official of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) said.
It is not clear if the operations will begin in April as the State government has to give a date to inaugurate the service.
The Metro Rail, built at a cost of Rs. 14,000 crore, was launched in 2009. According to the original schedule, services were to begin in October 2014 between Koyambedu and Alandur, but the deadline was later extended to March 2014.
Meanwhile, in November last year, Metro Rail trains received clearance from the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO), one of the statutory requirements to commence operations.
