Chennai Metro: Map, Timings, Fares, Stations and Airport Line (2026)

The lines

Phase 1 is two lines that cross twice. The Blue Line (Corridor 1) runs north to south along the coast and then inland: Wimco Nagar Depot to Chennai International Airport, 26 stations, through Washermenpet, Chennai Central, the Anna Salai business district, Guindy and Alandur. The Green Line (Corridor 2) loops west: Chennai Central to St. Thomas Mount, 17 stations, via Egmore, Anna Nagar, the Koyambedu bus terminus (CMBT), Vadapalani and Alandur. Both run 05:00 to 23:00 every day.

The first stretch of Phase 2 is open too: the Yellow Line (Corridor 4) from Poonamallee Bypass to Vadapalani via Kumananchavadi, Iyyapanthangal and Porur Junction, on shorter hours (07:00 to 21:00) while the rest of the corridor is built. For visitors it mainly matters as the way out to Poonamallee and the western suburbs; the sights, the stations and the airport are all on Blue and Green.

CMRL’s own maps: the Phase 1 route map (PDF) and the Phase 2 map (PDF). Google Maps transit directions also route across the Metro correctly.

First and last trains, frequency

From the CMRL timetable dated 13 October 2026. Treat the minutes as typical; CMRL adjusts them for holidays and events.

Saturdays, Sundays and holidays run a little thinner (typically every 10 to 20 minutes on the main lines, no short loops) but the 05:00 to 23:00 span holds. The live timetable is the PDF on the CMRL time-table page.

Fares

Single-journey fares on the fare table CMRL published on 9 October 2026 run from ₹10 for one or two stops to ₹50 for the longest trips, in ₹10 steps: ₹10, 20, 30, 40, 50. Central to the Airport is in the top band; Central to Egmore or Alandur to the Airport are at the bottom. CMRL also publishes a separate 20% discounted fare table; the discount has typically applied to tickets bought through the card and digital channels rather than at the counter, so check the fare page for the current rule before you buy. Children below a certain height travel free at the gate (ask staff), and there are group and family tickets for parties travelling together.

For scale: a Metro ride from the airport to Central costs less than a bottle of water at the terminal, and about a twentieth of a prepaid taxi.

How to buy a ticket

• Ticket counter. Every station has a staffed counter and vending machines that sell a paper QR ticket. Cash and UPI are accepted; say the destination station. Simplest for a first ride.
• Official app. The Chennai Metro Rail app (Android and iOS, linked from CMRL’s Mobile Applications page) sells QR tickets you scan at the gate. It needs a mobile number that can receive a one-time code.
• WhatsApp. CMRL sells QR tickets through a WhatsApp chatbot on 83000 86000 (the number on its home page): send “Hi”, pick the stations, pay by UPI, and the QR arrives in the chat.
• Online. tickets.chennaimetrorail.org issues QR tickets from a browser; handy if you are planning from a hotel.
• Singara Chennai card. A prepaid National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) issued through SBI that works on the Metro, MTC buses and as a RuPay debit card anywhere. Worth it if you are staying a week or more; top up at counters or online.
• Paytm and PhonePe. Both sell Chennai Metro QR tickets inside their apps; the links are on CMRL’s home page.

Whatever you hold, tap or scan at the entry gate, keep it, and scan again to leave. A ticket is valid for a set time after purchase, so do not buy it an hour before you travel.

Stations, line by line

As listed on the CMRL site on 21 October 2026. Long official names honour former chief ministers; the everyday names are in brackets.

Blue Line (Corridor 1): Wimco Nagar Depot to Chennai International Airport, 26 stations

1. Wimco Nagar Depot
2. Wimco Nagar
3. Thiruvotriyur
4. Thiruvottriyur Theradi
5. Kaladipet
6. Tollgate
7. New Washermenpet
8. Tondiarpet
9. Sir Thiyagaraya College
10. Washermenpet
11. Mannadi
12. High Court
13. Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central (Chennai Central)
14. Government Estate
15. LIC
16. Thousand Lights
17. AG-DMS
18. Teynampet
19. Nandanam
20. Saidapet
21. Little Mount
22. Guindy
23. Arignar Anna Alandur (Alandur)
24. OTA-Nanganallur Road
25. Meenambakkam
26. Chennai International Airport

Green Line (Corridor 2): Chennai Central to St. Thomas Mount, 17 stations

1. Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central (Chennai Central)
2. Egmore
3. Nehru Park
4. Kilpauk
5. Pachaiyappa’s College
6. Shenoy Nagar
7. Anna Nagar East
8. Anna Nagar Tower
9. Thirumangalam
10. Koyambedu
11. Puratchi Thalaivi Dr. J. Jayalalithaa CMBT (Koyambedu bus terminus)
12. Arumbakkam
13. Vadapalani
14. Ashok Nagar
15. Ekkattuthangal
16. Arignar Anna Alandur (Alandur)
17. St. Thomas Mount

Yellow Line (Corridor 4): the first stretch

The October 2026 fare table lists ten Yellow Line stations between Porur Junction and Poonamallee Bypass, and trains run through to Vadapalani on the Green Line. Which of the stations between Porur and Vadapalani are open changes as the line is finished; check the official site.

1. Porur Junction
2. Porur Bypass
3. Thelliyaragaram
4. Iyyapanthangal
5. Kattupakkam
6. Kumananchavadi
7. Karayanchavadi
8. Poonamallee Government Hospital
9. Poonamallee Bus Stand
10. Poonamallee Bypass

Every station has its own page on the CMRL site with entrances, lifts and escalators, parking and nearby landmarks; the airport station page, for example, lists each escalator by name.

The airport line

Chennai International Airport is the southern end of the Blue Line. The station sits across the road from the terminals and is linked to them by a covered walkway; follow the Metro signs out of arrivals, allow ten minutes with luggage. Trains to the city start about 04:50 and the last leaves at 23:00 (23:08 for the direct Central train), so a late-night arrival still needs a prepaid taxi or app cab; see the airport arrival guide.

To Chennai Central take any Blue Line train towards Wimco Nagar, or the direct Central service: typically 35 to 45 minutes, ₹50. For Egmore, Anna Nagar or Koyambedu the direct Central ↔ Airport train runs the Green Line route, so no change is needed; otherwise change at Alandur. For T. Nagar get off at Nandanam or Teynampet and take an auto; for Mylapore and the Marina, Thousand Lights or Government Estate plus an auto. See where to stay in Chennai for which hotels sit on a line.

Changing lines

• Chennai Central (Blue and Green). The two lines are on different levels of a large underground station; the walk is a few minutes with escalators. The main-line railway station and Park suburban station are above ground; see the Chennai Central station guide.
• Alandur (Blue and Green). Elevated, with the platforms stacked; the quickest change for Airport ↔ Anna Nagar or Koyambedu trips.
• Vadapalani (Green and Yellow). For Porur and Poonamallee.
• Egmore (Green) connects to Egmore railway station, and CMBT (Green) to the Koyambedu bus terminus; see the Egmore station guide.

Tips for visitors and seniors

• Lifts and escalators at every station. CMRL lists them station by station and has a “facilities for differently abled people” page; wheelchairs can be requested from staff at the gate. Platforms are level with the train floor.
• Luggage. Airport-sized suitcases are fine; bags go through an X-ray at the entrance, as at an Indian airport. Very large or sharp items are refused.
• Reserved seats for seniors and women in every car, and the first car is typically reserved for women. Women’s helpline 155370.
• Avoid the peaks (roughly 08:00 to 11:00 and 17:00 to 20:00) if you can; the central Blue Line stretch is crowded then.
• No food, no photography inside the stations, and alcohol is not allowed. Fines are posted at the gates.
• Last mile. Most stations have an auto stand outside; some have MTC feeder buses and free bicycles (CMRL’s “Metro Connect”). Parking exists at many elevated stations; CMRL publishes the list and tariff.
• Helpline: 1860-425-1515, 24 hours, on every station board. Lost property is handled at the station where you report it.
• Rain. The Metro is the service that keeps running in a Chennai downpour; see the monsoon page.

Phase 2: what is coming

Phase 2 adds three corridors totalling 118.9 km and 128 stations: Corridor 3 Madhavaram to SIPCOT (45.8 km), Corridor 4 Lighthouse to Poonamallee Bypass (26.1 km) and Corridor 5 Madhavaram to Sholinganallur (47 km). CMRL’s project page gives an estimated cost of ₹63,246 crore and says the project is “proposed to be completed by the end of 2028”. It will reach Mylapore and the Marina (Corridor 4), the IT corridor on OMR and Sholinganallur (Corridor 5) and the northern suburbs, which is to say most of the places a visitor goes that Phase 1 misses. Stretches open in pieces, as the Yellow Line has; this guide is updated when CMRL changes the timetable.

Frequently asked questions