Chennai's new Yellow Line opens: the prime minister buys a paper ticket and rides the first 15-km stretch

On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay opened the first operational stretch of Chennai Metro Rail Phase II - then rode the inaugural train together from Poonamallee Bypass toward Vadapalani. Modi began by buying a paper QR-code ticket at the station counter like any commuter. The new section of Corridor 4, the Yellow Line, runs about 15 km across 11 elevated stations, built at a cost of around Rs 4,900 crore (about $515 million). It includes a 3.7-km double-decker structure, signalling ready for driverless operation, and platform screen doors. Trains run daily from 7am to 9pm, with fares of Rs 10 to Rs 40 (about $0.11 to $0.42) - and the Poonamallee-Vadapalani trip now takes about 30 minutes.