Chennai International Airport metro station

NLC India Airport Metro (formerly known as Chennai International Airport) is an elevated southern terminal metro station on the North-South Corridor of the Blue Line of Chennai Metro in Chennai, India. This station serves the Chennai International Airport and the neighbourhoods of Meenambakkam, Tirusulam, Pallavaram, Pammal, Kundrathur and Tambaram. The station is the only elevated airport metro station in India. The other airport metro stations in the country such as those in Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai and the proposed ones at Bangalore and Hyderabad are underground.[2] The station enables rapid transit connectivity with the airport, making Chennai the second city in India after Delhi to achieve this.[3]


NLC India Airport Metro
Logo of Chennai Metro Chennai Metro station
Outside view of NLC India's Airport metro station
General information
Other namesChennai International Airport
LocationMeenambakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600016
India
Coordinates12°58′51″N 80°09′51″E / 12.980806°N 80.164197°E / 12.980806; 80.164197
Owned byChennai Metro
Operated byChennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL)
Line(s)Blue Line  Inter Corridor Line 
PlatformsSide platform
Platform-1 → Train Terminates Here (to be extended to Kilambakkam in the future)
Platform-2 → Wimco Nagar Depot and Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G Ramachandran Central Metro
Tracks2
Construction
Structure typeElevated, Double track
AccessibleYes Disabled access
Other information
Station codeSAP
History
Opened21 September 2016; 7 years ago (2016-09-21)
ElectrifiedSingle-phase 25 kV, 50 Hz AC through overhead catenary
Passengers
20199,000/day[1]
Rank3
Services
Preceding stationLogo of Chennai Metro Chennai MetroFollowing station
MeenambakkamBlue LineTerminus
Blue Line
(Future Service)
Pallavaram
towards Kilambakkam
Preceding stationChennai SuburbanFollowing station
MeenambakkamSouth Line
transfer at Tirusulam
Pallavaram
Location
Map

Construction

The foundation for the station was laid on 24 May 2012. While the architectural and structural design of the station will be carried out by AAI in consultation with Creative Group, the interiors of the station will be designed by CMRL. The time frame for constructing the metro station is 14 months and the work has been awarded to URC Construction Company Private Limited, Erode, at a cost of 480 million.[4]

By the end of July 2014, the structural work on the station was completed.[3]

The station

The station building is a five-level terminal with a basement, ground floor, metro ground floor, concourse, and a platform. The station spans 17,300 square meters. To help passengers alight directly from the international and domestic terminals, the concourse of the station will be linked to the glass connector tube that will connect the two terminals. The station will be an RCC shell structure building with self-supported secret fix aluminium roofing.[4][5]

The station is one of the few in the corridor that will have parking facilities.[6]

Station layout

Chennai International Airport track layout
P2
P1
to Train Terminates Here **
Station with two tracks and two side platforms
** (Further extension to Kilambakkam metro station in the future)
GStreet levelExit/Entrance
L1MezzanineFare control, station agent, Metro Card vending machines, crossover
L2Side platform | Doors will open on the left
Platform 1
Southbound
Towards → Train Terminates Here (to be further extended to Kilambakkam in the future)
Platform 2
Northbound
Towards ← Wimco Nagar Depot next station is Meenambakkam
Side platform | Doors will open on the left
L2

Traffic

As of December 2019, about 9,000 passengers board trains at the metro station,[1] up from about 6,500 passengers in February 2019,[7] making it the third busiest Metro stations in Chennai, after Thirumangalam and Chennai Central.

See also

References