PM Modi and Tamil Nadu CM Vijay open Chennai Metro Phase II stretch, share stage

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay flagged off the first train on the Poonamallee Bypass-Vadapalani section of Chennai Metro Rail Phase II on Sunday, 11 October 2026, The Hindu and The Indian Express reported. The two later appeared together at a government function at IIT Madras, which The Indian Express described as the first time Mr Vijay had shared a dais with the Prime Minister at a major government event.

The Metro stretch

According to The Hindu, Mr Modi arrived at Porur Bypass Metro station at about 11.30 am, where he and Mr Vijay were briefed on the 118.9 km Phase II project before flagging off the train. The Indian Express reported that Governor Rajendra Arlekar joined them and that they rode from Porur Bypass to Poonamallee and back.

The new section is 14.64 km long. The Hindu reported that it takes Chennai’s operational Metro network from 54 km to 68 km. Passenger services started at 4 pm on Sunday, with regular services from Monday, 12 October, running from 7 am to 9 pm.

At IIT Madras

The Indian Express reported that the Prime Minister launched projects worth about Rs 13,000 crore during the visit. Mr Modi said, as quoted by the paper: “We want to build a Tamil Nadu that continuously reaches new heights… Whatever help is required from the Centre, we stand with you with complete commitment.” He also said that “governments kept changing, but my resolve for the development of Tamil Nadu and service of its people always remained unbroken”, naming several earlier Tamil Nadu chief ministers he had worked with.

Mr Vijay welcomed the Prime Minister and said Tamil Nadu aimed to become a 1.5-trillion-dollar economy by 2036. Much of his speech consisted of requests to the Centre, according to The Indian Express. These included:

• about 65 km of Chennai Metro Phase III, and reconsideration of Metro proposals for Coimbatore and Madurai;
• approval for a Metro link between Hosur and Bengaluru;
• six-laning of the Chengalpattu-Trichy stretch of GST Road and other highway works;
• priority for the Godavari-Cauvery river-linking proposal, and action on the state’s request to use Tamil as the principal language in Madras High Court proceedings;
• release of Rs 510 crore he said was due to the state from the Central share of funds.

Political reactions

The Hindu reported that AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami, among those who received the Prime Minister at the airport, said the AIADMK government had put funds into Phase II and started work when Central money had not arrived. He also said he opposed “manipulative politics through social media reels”.

What happens next

The Union government has not, in the reports reviewed, responded to the specific requests Mr Vijay listed. This report relies on The Indian Express and The Hindu; no official statement from the Prime Minister’s Office or the state government was available to the desk at the time of writing.