Metro Rail News Online

Recently, Metro Rail News has conducted an interview with IAS Pankaj Kumar Bansal , Managing Director of Chennai Metro Rail Limited. In 2013,  Mr. Pankaj Kumar Bansal took over the charge of Chennai Metro as Managing Director, he wondered why platforms of 240 meters needed to be constructed when the train required only 140 to 145 meters to park at the station. He is the 1997 batch IAS officer, ensured that in two years, his team came up with a ‘Yes, We Can’ answer to his 145 meter challenge, arguably “for the first time in the world.” Two key lines were flagged off recently, with passengers now able to travel from Chennai Central to the Airport, with a frequency of a train every 5 minutes, likely to go up to one every two and a half minutes, at just seventy rupees. Here are excerpts from the interview. How long will the project take to complete and what sort of arrangements have been made to ensure commuters do not face any hurdle during the constr...

Chennai: The government of Tamil Nadu has urged the management of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) to streamline its work in the city and complete it as soon as possible, and thus ensure that commuting is easy for the public. The Minister of State Industries, M. C. Sampath, asked the managing director of CMRL, Pankaj Kumar Bansal, to complete the works from Nehru Park to Central and from Saidapet to AG-DMS shortly. The minister, who recently visited the underground sites of the CMRL and inspected the work, expressed his satisfaction with the progress of the work and wanted the passenger services on the routes to begin soon. The stations between AG-DMK and Saidapet are receiving final touches particularly at the point of entry or exit, said the official. CMRL is planning to start the test on the Anna Salai line this week, the sources said. It is likely that the Metro Rail Safety commissioner will be invited for inspection in March. Currently, Chennai Metro Rail Limited is operating se...