Chennai Metro's Poonamallee to Vadapalani Line Is Open: What Homebuyers Should Check
Chennai Metro Rail began regular services on about 15 km of Phase 2 Corridor 4, from Poonamallee Bypass to Vadapalani, on 11 October 2026. Here is what opened, how often trains run, and what buyers along the line should verify.
At 4 pm on Sunday, 11 October 2026, the first passenger trains ran on Chennai Metro's new elevated line between Poonamallee Bypass and Vadapalani. For anyone who has spent the past few years looking at flats near Poonamallee and Porur, a line on a brochure map has become a timetable.
That is a real change for daily life on the western side of the city. It is also the moment when sales pitches get louder, and when "walk to metro" starts appearing on every hoarding within a few kilometres. This guide sets out what Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has actually opened, how often the trains run, how the stretch fits into Phase 2, and what a homebuyer near the line should check before letting a metro station shape the decision.
The short answer. CMRL's press release dated 10 October 2026 says regular passenger services began on 11 October 2026 on about 15 km of Phase 2 Corridor 4, with 11 elevated stations from Poonamallee Bypass to Vadapalani. From 12 October trains run from 7 am to 9 pm, every 10 minutes at weekday peaks and every 15 minutes otherwise. CMRL's project page describes the full Corridor 4 as 26.1 km from Lighthouse to Poonamalle Bypass, within a 118.9 km Phase 2 network proposed for completion by the end of 2028. The trade-off: a working station is a firmer fact than a promised one, but it is only one input, and the rest of the corridor has not opened.
What exactly opened on 11 October 2026?
CMRL's press release P.R.No 66/2026, dated 10 October 2026, announced the commencement of regular metro passenger services from 11 October 2026 on Corridor 4 of Phase 2. The opened section has a total of 11 elevated stations covering approximately 15 km, from Poonamallee Bypass Metro to Vadapalani Metro.
The 11 stations named in the release are Poonamallee Bypass, Poonamallee Bus Stand, Poonamallee Government Hospital, Karayanchavadi, Kumananchavadi, Kattupakkam, Iyappanthangal, Thelliyaragaram, Porur Bypass, Porur Junction and Vadapalani.
On the opening day, CMRL said services would start at 4 pm and run in both directions up to 9 pm. The release refers to the line as Corridor 4 (Yellow Line), and asks passengers to make use of the services and plan their journeys accordingly. All 11 stations on the opened section are elevated, according to the release.
PropNewz has followed this stretch since before it opened. Our earlier piece on Phase 2 Corridor 4 and the Poonamallee belt covers the build-up, and this update records what is now running.
How often do trains run, and when?
From 12 October 2026, CMRL says regular services run from 7 am to 9 pm in both directions on the 15 km section. The timetable in the release sets two frequencies.
From Monday to Saturday, trains run every 10 minutes in the peak hours of 8 am to 11 am and 5 pm to 8 pm. In the non-peak hours of 7 am to 8 am, 11 am to 5 pm and 8 pm to 9 pm, they run every 15 minutes. On Sundays and holidays there is no peak hour service, and trains run every 15 minutes from 7 am to 9 pm. The last train departs at 9 pm from both terminals, Poonamallee Bypass and Corridor 4 Vadapalani.
For a buyer, those details matter more than the map. A household that leaves for work before 7 am, or returns after 9 pm, will not be using the line at those hours on the current timetable. Check the timings against your own working day rather than assuming the line covers every trip.
Where does this stretch sit within Phase 2?
CMRL's Phase 2 project status page describes a 118.9 km network with 128 stations across three corridors: Corridor 3 from Madhavaram to SIPCOT at 45.8 km, Corridor 4 from Lighthouse to Poonamalle Bypass at 26.1 km, and Corridor 5 from Madhavaram to Sholinganallur at 47.0 km. It gives an estimated cost of Rs 63,246 crore including interest during construction, says the proposal is approved by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, and says the project is proposed to be completed by the end of 2028. The page shows a last updated date of 26 November 2025.
| Item | What CMRL says | What it means for a buyer |
|---|---|---|
| Section now open | About 15 km, 11 elevated stations, Poonamallee Bypass to Vadapalani | Station distance is now a checkable fact on this stretch |
| Operating hours | 7 am to 9 pm in both directions from 12 October 2026 | Early and late commutes still need another option |
| Frequency | Every 10 minutes at weekday peaks, every 15 minutes otherwise | Plan around the gap at your station and hour |
| Full Corridor 4 | 26.1 km from Lighthouse to Poonamalle Bypass | The section beyond Vadapalani is not part of this opening |
| Phase 2 target | 118.9 km network proposed for completion by the end of 2028 | Treat dates for other corridors as targets, not timetables |
The press release list on CMRL's website also shows steady work elsewhere in Phase 2, including tunnel boring machine breakthroughs announced in late September and early October 2026, and a July 2026 release on completing piling and U girder casting for the OMR stretch. CMRL's monthly releases also report about 1 crore passengers in September 2026 across its network.
What is still to come on Corridor 4?
The opening covers only part of the corridor. CMRL's project page gives Corridor 4 a length of 26.1 km from Lighthouse to Poonamalle Bypass, and the press release describes the opened section as approximately 15 km from Poonamallee Bypass to Vadapalani. By our arithmetic, that leaves roughly 11 km of Corridor 4, on the Lighthouse side of Vadapalani, outside this opening. CMRL has not given a separate opening date for that section in the documents reviewed for this article.
That gap matters if your daily trip runs beyond Vadapalani. A buyer whose workplace lies along the unopened part of the corridor should plan for a change of mode at Vadapalani for now, and treat any brochure promise of a direct ride as dependent on the rest of the corridor being completed. CMRL's own target for the whole of Phase 2 is the end of 2028.
It also matters for how you read timelines in sale documents. If a developer's material links a project's appeal to a station that is not yet open, ask which section that station sits on, and check CMRL's releases for its current status before you rely on it.
How should a buyer weigh a home near the new stations?
A working station changes the facts you can check, not the questions you should ask. Start with distance. A brochure that says a project is "near Porur metro" may mean a short walk or a long auto ride, so measure the actual walking route to the nearest of the 11 named stations, and visit at the hours you would travel.
Next, separate the line from the project. A metro station does not change a project's approvals, title, construction quality or delivery record. Check the planning permission, the RERA registration and the builder's history exactly as you would anywhere else in the city. Our guide on verifying CMDA and DTCP approvals in Chennai walks through that step.
Then look at price claims with care. A developer may argue that the opening justifies a higher rate. Ask for the project's own price history and compare it with recent registered sales nearby, rather than accepting a general claim that metro access has already been priced in or is about to be. PropNewz does not forecast prices, and a buyer should not treat any station as a guarantee of future value.
Finally, note that CMRL's website lists an Influence Zone NOC Policy in its project section. If you are buying in an under construction building close to the alignment, ask the developer whether that policy applied to the project and request any related correspondence.
What should you check before buying near Corridor 4?
Use this checklist before a station name influences an offer:
- Confirm the nearest of the 11 opened stations by name from CMRL's release.
- Walk the route from the gate of the project to the station and time it.
- Match your household's travel hours against the 7 am to 9 pm timetable.
- Check whether your daily destination lies on the opened section or beyond Vadapalani.
- Verify the project's planning approval and RERA registration independently.
- Ask the developer whether CMRL's Influence Zone NOC Policy applied, and for any papers.
- Compare the quoted price with recent registered sales, not with metro marketing.
Phase 2 is a large programme, and sales activity across the city has shifted this year. For the wider market picture, see our report on Chennai home sales from January to September 2026.
What do Chennai buyers ask about the Poonamallee to Vadapalani metro?
When did the Poonamallee to Vadapalani metro open?
CMRL's press release dated 10 October 2026 says regular passenger services began on 11 October 2026, starting at 4 pm and running in both directions up to 9 pm that day. From 12 October 2026, services run from 7 am to 9 pm on the 15 km section.
Which stations are open on Chennai Metro Corridor 4?
The opened section has 11 elevated stations: Poonamallee Bypass, Poonamallee Bus Stand, Poonamallee Government Hospital, Karayanchavadi, Kumananchavadi, Kattupakkam, Iyappanthangal, Thelliyaragaram, Porur Bypass, Porur Junction and Vadapalani. CMRL describes it as covering approximately 15 km of Phase 2 Corridor 4, also called the Yellow Line.
How frequent are trains between Poonamallee and Vadapalani?
From Monday to Saturday, trains run every 10 minutes in the peak hours of 8 am to 11 am and 5 pm to 8 pm, and every 15 minutes at other times. On Sundays and holidays there is no peak service, and trains run every 15 minutes from 7 am to 9 pm.
When will the rest of Chennai Metro Phase 2 be finished?
CMRL's project status page says Phase 2 is a 118.9 km network with 128 stations across three corridors and is proposed to be completed by the end of 2028. That page shows a last updated date of 26 November 2025, so treat the date as a target rather than a timetable.
Last updated 2026-10-18. PropNewz Team.
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