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
Chennai Metro station
Outside view of NLC India's Airport metro station
General information
Other names	Chennai International Airport
Location	Meenambakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600016 India
Coordinates	12.980806°N 80.164197°E / 12.980806; 80.164197
Owned by	Chennai Metro
Operated by	Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL)
Line(s)	Blue Line  Inter Corridor Line
Platforms	Side 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
Tracks	2
Construction
Structure type	Elevated, Double track
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Station code	SAP
History
Opened	21 September 2016; 8 years ago (2016-09-21)
Electrified	Single-phase 25 kV, 50 Hz AC through overhead catenary
Passengers
2019	9,000/day[1]
Rank	3
Services
Preceding station Chennai Metro Following station Meenambakkam towards Wimco Nagar Depot Blue Line Terminus Blue Line (Future Service) Pallavaram towards Kilambakkam Preceding station Chennai Suburban Following station Meenambakkam towards Chennai Beach South Line transfer at Tirusulam Pallavaram towards Tambaram, Chengalpattu Junction or Villupuram Junction
Route map Legend Chennai Suburban Railway West South Line Wimco Nagar Depot Wimco Nagar Depot Wimco Nagar Tiruvottriyur Thiruvottriyur Theradi Kaladipet Toll Gate New Washermanpet Tondiarpet Sir Theagaraya College Washermanpet Mannadi High Court Chennai Suburban Railway South Line & South West Line M.G.R Central Green Line Cooum River Government Estate LIC Thousand Lights Purple Line AG – DMS Teynampet Nandanam Yellow Line Saidapet Adyar River Little Mount Guindy Chennai Suburban Railway South Line & South West Line Kathipara Junction Arignar Anna Alandur Green LineRed Line Green Line Nanganallur Road Meenambakkam Chennai International Airport Pallavaram Kothandam Nagar Chromepet Mahalakshmi Colony Thiru.Vi.Ka Nagar Tambaram Irumbuliyur Peerkankaranai Perungalathur Vandalur Arignar Anna Zoological Park Kilambakkam Chennai Suburban Railway South Line
Location

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
Legend
to Meenambakkam P2 P1 to Train Terminates Here ** Towards Kilambakkam
Station with two tracks and two side platforms ** (Further extension to Kilambakkam metro station in the future)

G	Street level	Exit/Entrance
L1	Mezzanine	Fare control, station agent, Metro Card vending machines, crossover
L2	Side 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: 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

• India portal

• List of Chennai metro stations
• Chennai International Airport
• IGI Airport metro station