The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India on Wednesday signed a US$350 million loan to build new lines and improve the connectivity of the metro rail system in Chennai, India.

The first tranche of the loan is part of a US$780 million Multitranche Facility (MFF) for a project to build three new metro lines (3, 4 and 5) in Chennai. The project will expand the connectivity of downtown Chennai to key destinations in the south and west of the city and integrate the metro system with existing bus and spur routes. For Line 3, a 10.1 km flyover between Sholinganalur and Tamil Nadu State Industrial Development Corporation-2 and 9 metro stations and system components will be built. For Line 4, a 10 km underground section will be built between the lighthouse and Meenakshi College, including 9 stations. For Line 5, 31 km of electrical, mechanical, power and telecommunications infrastructure will be built between Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus to Okkiyam Thoraipakkam.

A US$1 million ADB technical assistance (TA) grant will assist Chennai Metro Rail Limited in planning and managing the multimodal integration of the metro system.