CHENNAI: After the bustling Anna Salai shuts down for the night on Thursday, a metro train will zip through under the arterial road as Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) will begin its trial run on the last leg of the 45-km phase-1 from AG-DMS to Washermenpet. The 9.5-km line is expected to be opened for public use in January, about 10 years after construction began for the first phase.A metro rail official said they will operate a four-car train on the down line from AG-DMS to Washermenpet, three years after the first deadline, around 11pm on Thursday.During the trial, which may go on for a month, engineers will test the signalling systems required for the automatic operation of trains from December 7 to 22.When the entire phase-1 network becomes operational, commuters from Washermenpet can reach the airport, 23.5km away, in less than 60 minutes.Due to the signalling and testing work, first train from Little Mount to AGDMS will start at 8am instead of 6am starting this Friday.“We will operate feeder services between Little Mount and AG-DMS from 6am to 8am. Trains on the other lines will be operated as per schedule,” an official said.During the trial run, officials said, the trains will be run on both manual and automatic mode to check operation and syncing of various systems in the network.The trial run is to test integration of all electronic, electrical and communication systems required for daily operations. CMRL officials will fix all problems before external inspectors certify the line to be fit for operation. The Commissioner of Railway Safety will conduct the final round of inspections.“We will continue trial runs every day,” the official said. Top CMRL officials, including managing director Pankaj Kumar Bansal, will be present during the trial run.Officials said installation of critical systems, such as overhead equipment, signals, tunnel ventilation, heating, air-conditioning, platform screendoors and automatic fare collection gates, is complete. Final architectural work is in progress.

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