Chennai: Chennai Metro Rail plans to seek permission for the official safety audit clearance for the next service from Little Mount to Chennai Airport in three months.
Before throwing open any stretch for public use, Chennai Metro Rail must get a clearance from the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS).
They will visit the stations, take a ride in the train through the stretch and inspect various aspects before issuing a certificate of approval for beginning the commercial service.
According to sources, the CMRS may be invited in about three months for inspection of the stations from Little Mount to Chennai Airport and St. Thomas Mount.
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“Only after they give clearance can we pick a date for commencing the services in the next stretch,” a source said.
This mandatory process of CMRS inspection and certification was carried out before the first service of Chennai Metro Rail from Koyambedu to Alandur was open to public.
Chennai Metro Rail had its first service launched only in June last year though the official deadline of the entire project was 2015.
There was a delay due to contractors making tardy progress and their subsequent termination.
For instance, Consolidated Construction Consortium Limited (CCCL), which was in charge of constructing stations from Koyambedu and Alandur, had failed to keep up with deadlines and its contract was terminated.
Then, retendering work started and a fresh contract was awarded. Now, tickets are priced between Rs. 10 and Rs. 40 and nine trains are running on this stretch.