The Chennai Metro Rail Ltd (CMRL) has awarded a contract to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Madurai metro rail project. The report is expected to be completed in the next two months and will then be sent to the Union government for final approval. The Tamil Nadu government has allocated Rs 8,500 crore in the state budget for Phase-I of the project, which is planned to cover a distance of 31 km between Thirumangalam and Othakadai.
The DPR will include information such as a traffic study, cost breakdown, implementation strategy, and socio-economic impact of the project. Final approval from the central government will be given only after all necessary clearances are obtained from the state and central ministries. After that, an external agency or international bank will be approached to secure funds.