Chennai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone, inaugurated and dedicated to the nation development projects worth over ₹13,000 crore in Tamil Nadu on Sunday, October 11, 2026, in one of the largest infrastructure packages the state has received in a single day. The main programme was held in Chennai, where the Prime Minister shared the stage with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and senior leaders from both the state and central governments.
The centrepiece of the day was the inauguration of the Poonamallee–Vadapalani stretch of Chennai Metro Rail Phase II, part of Corridor 4, built at a cost of around ₹4,900 crore. The stretch, roughly 14.5–15 km long with 11 elevated stations, includes a 3.7-km double-decker structure — among the most complex engineering segments of the expanding metro network. The corridor has been equipped with advanced signalling designed to support driverless operations in the future.
After flagging off the stretch, Modi and Chief Minister Vijay travelled together on the Chennai Metro from Porur Bypass Station to Poonamallee Bypass Station and back, interacting with passengers and officials during the ride. The image of the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister riding the metro together was widely seen as a display of cooperative federalism at a time when the Centre and states have clashed over infrastructure credit.
Highway development formed the second major pillar of the programme, with foundation stones laid for and national highway projects inaugurated worth around ₹3,700 crore. The list includes the 36-km four-lane Vadugapatti–Therkuvenganallur section of NH-744, the 30-km Madurai Ring Road on NH-744A, and the Thiruvarur Bypass on NH-83 — projects expected to ease congestion in key corridors across southern Tamil Nadu.
Railway infrastructure worth over ₹750 crore was also inaugurated, covering the Karaikal–Peralam line, three rail flyovers near Coimbatore, and five redeveloped Amrit Bharat stations at Palani, Vellore Cantonment, Ambasamudram, Paramakkudi and Namakkal. In addition, the Prime Minister announced modernisation initiatives at the Chennai, Kamarajar and VO Chidambaranar ports, aimed at strengthening the state’s maritime logistics.
Addressing the gathering, Modi said the ₹13,000 crore programme — completed projects inaugurated and new ones with foundations laid — would “create jobs for young people across Tamil Nadu”. He called for “stronger states to build a stronger nation”, stressing that cooperative federalism was the path to the country’s development goals.
In his address, the Prime Minister also recalled working with former Tamil Nadu leaders, naming Karunanidhi, Jayalalithaa, Panneerselvam, Palaniswami and Stalin, and said the journey was now continuing with Chief Minister Vijay. The remark drew attention given the state’s political realignment that brought Vijay to the chief minister’s chair.
Beyond the infrastructure programme, Modi’s Tamil Nadu visit packed in several engagements. He performed darshan and pooja at the Jalakandeswarar Temple, toured the Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre at IIT Madras, and participated in the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Jaigopal Garodia Hindu Vidyalaya Matriculation Higher Secondary School, underscoring a mix of development, research and culture on the day’s itinerary.
