India-chennai starts metro operations

[airuah]

Steered by A. Preethi, the first train of the Chennai Metro Rail chugged along from the Alandur station in Chennai on Monday after being flagged off by Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa. Photo: K.V. Srinivasan | The Hindu
This file photo shows A. Preethi and Jayashree, two women CMRL loco-pilots. Steered by A. Preethi, the first train of the Chennai Metro Rail chugged off from Alandur Station in Chennai on Monday after being flagged off by Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa. Photo: M. Karunakaran | The Hindu

This file photo shows A. Preethi and Jayashree, two women CMRL loco-pilots. Steered by A. Preethi, the first train of the Chennai Metro Rail chugged off from Alandur Station in Chennai on Monday after being flagged off by Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa. Photo: M. Karunakaran | The Hindu

CMRL train after inauguration by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa running between Alandur to Koyambedu. Picture taken while running from Vadapalani to MMDA Station. Photo: V. Ganesan. | The Hindu

Steered by a young woman, the first train of the Chennai Metro Rail chugged along from Alandur Station in Chennai on Monday after being flagged off by Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa.

The first train which left at 12.15 p.m. from Alandur to Koyambedu was driven by A. Preethi, a 28-year-old diploma holder in engineering from Government Dharmambal Polytechnic College in Chennai.

The Chief Minister inaugurated it by flagging it off via live video from the State Secretariat in Chennai.

“I am excited, my daughter’s dream of becoming a loco pilot of Metro Rail has come true,” Preethi’s father R Anbu told PTI.

He explained how his daughter was chasing her dream of becoming a loco pilot after the metro rail project began taking shape.

“She quit her first job, applied for a job in Chennai Metro rail, and she was the first woman to get selected,” he said with joy.

“Three other women joined as pilots after her and I am happy that she was successful,” he said.

Preethi was trained for a year and half like others in Chennai and in Delhi for the purpose.

Meanwhile, the sprawling and swanky Alandur metro station, the biggest in Chennai, was brimming with activity, with enthusiastic passengers eager to board the first train.

“I wanted to board the first metro train, I hope metro makes travel easier and a pleasure,” said K Ramesh a young executive.

 

[airuah]

Young woman steers Chennai’s first metro train: The Hindu - Mobile edition

 

[IR-TR]

Good job Chennai and India! Great work you guys and girls, you deserve it. And by god, before long, that'll be a metro system of 200-300 km or even more. Hope I can keep up with all the progress in all Indian cities. Time consuming but fun.

 

[Pakistani till death]

Congradulations india! Infrastructure is the way forward and you people know this well while us pakistanis find problem in every big project eg the islamabad brts which is just a bus system and people complained that money should have been spent on hospitals and schools etc which is a fair demand but infrastructure is equally important. The western countries built their transport system eg london underground when they were horrible places to live with poverty and disease

 

[IR-TR]

Congradulations india! Infrastructure is the way forward and you people know this well while us pakistanis find problem in every big project eg the islamabad brts which is just a bus system and people complained that money should have been spent on hospitals and schools etc which is a fair demand but infrastructure is equally important. The western countries built their transport system eg london underground when they were horrible places to live with poverty and disease

Pakistan will get theirs. The Orange Line is only the first project. If Pakistan can remain pretty stable, and enhance ties with India, it can play out two gigantic economies against each other for investments.

 

[Pakistani till death]

Pakistan will get theirs. The Orange Line is only the first project. If Pakistan can remain pretty stable, and enhance ties with India, it can play out two gigantic economies against each other for investments.

We could have gotten the orange line 10 years ago during musharrafs time and so could have karachi. Even now there are several people protesting against it especially lahore bachao tehreek.

 

[IR-TR]

We could have gotten the orange line 10 years ago during musharrafs time and so could have karachi. Even now there are several people protesting against it especially lahore bachao tehreek.

I see. Well, Pakistan is a democracy, so that's a plus. But I think now it's actually going to be built, like the highway and the Gwadar port. So exciting times ahead for Pakistan's infrastructure. But let's not de'rail' this topic further, and let's keep it about your Eastern neighbour.

 

[livingdead]

We could have gotten the orange line 10 years ago during musharrafs time and so could have karachi. Even now there are several people protesting against it especially lahore bachao tehreek.

the opposition to lahore metro is politically motivated.

 

[dlclong]

Congrats to Madras/chennai

 

[Echo_419]

We could have gotten the orange line 10 years ago during musharrafs time and so could have karachi. Even now there are several people protesting against it especially lahore bachao tehreek.

The opposition to Lahore metro is politically motivated ignore it

Good job Chennai and India! Great work you guys and girls, you deserve it. And by god, before long, that'll be a metro system of 200-300 km or even more. Hope I can keep up with all the progress in all Indian cities. Time consuming but fun.

Exactly MRT systems are highly important for cities to be successful

 

[Josef K]

About friggin time!!!! It was ready for a long time, but the morons wouldn't start it until Jaya gets back to power and flags it off as CM. Things these politicians do for even such a small thing as whose name would be on the commemorative plaque. Reminds me of a song from a movie in which her party's founder starred. "Ethanai periya manithanukku, ethanai siriya manamirukku" (such a large man. but such a narrow mind).

 

[being humane]

 

[Robinhood Pandey]

So its the sixth city in our country to have an operational metro system.

Congratulations everyone

 

[cirr]

Are India's metros mostly under or above ground？

 

[nair]

Are India's metros mostly under or above ground？

Above......... But this one has both..... Above and under ground as well...