Watch: PM Modi, CM Vijay share metro ride after flagging off Chennai Metro's Poonamallee-Vadapalani stretch

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tamil Nadu chief minister Vijay inaugurated the Poonamallee-Vadapalani stretch of Phase II of Chennai Metro Rail project on Sunday. The stretch has been built at a cost of around ₹4,900 crore. After flagging off the services, the two leaders shared a ride on the metro train.Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, inaugurates the Poonamallee-Vadapalani stretch of Phase II of the Chennai Metro Rail Project, in Chennai, (screengrab/@NarendraModi/via PTI)Chennai metro’s new stretch gets 11 elevated stationsThe new services are covered under Corridor four of Phase two of the Metro Rail project. In the newly inaugurated stretch, there are a total of 11 elevated Metro Stations covering approximately 15 km.The metro rail corridor features a unique 3.7-km double-decker structure. It also features advanced signalling systems designed to support driverless operations.The stretch will significantly reduce daily travel time for commuters and improve connectivity between Chennai's western suburbs and the city centre.ALSO READ: Voice of Delhi Metro, Shammi Narang, takes grandson on first Metro ride: ‘He was amazed to hear Dadu’s voice’PM to inaugurate, lay foundation stones for projects worth over ₹13,000 cr todayThe Prime Minister will inaugurate and lay the foundation stones for development projects worth over ₹13,000 crore during his Chennai visit. This will include projects involving Highways, Railways, Ports, Petroleum and Education sectors.PM will lay the foundation stone and inaugurate National Highway Projects worth around ₹3,700 crore in Tamil Nadu, lay foundation stones for Port projects at Chennai Port, Kamarajar Port and V O Chidambaranar Port, inaugurate five Amrit Stations at Palani, Vellore Cantonment, Ambasamudram, Paramakkudi and Namakkal, and dedicate to the nation the Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre at IIT Madras.ALSO READ: Man returns to Chennai after 3 years in Bengaluru, says city's 'outskirts don't feel like outskirts anymore'The PM is scheduled to take part in the golden jubilee celebrations of Jaigopal Garodia Hindu Vidyalaya Matriculation Higher Secondary School later in the day.The key National Highway projects include the 36-km, four-laned Vadugapatti-Therkuvenganallur section of NH-744A, the 30-km, four-laned Madurai Ring Road section of NH-744A, and the foundation stone for the four-lane Thiruvarur Bypass on the Nagapattinam-Thanjavur section of NH-83.PM Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of several port-related projects in Tamil Nadu to strengthen maritime infrastructure, expand cargo-handling capacity and improve logistics efficiency.(with agency inputs)