Chennai- Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin inaugurated the upgraded Poonamallee electric bus depot of the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) and flagged off 125 new low-floor electric buses including 45 low-floor air-conditioned electric buses and 80 low-floor electric buses.
According to an official press release, the depot upgrade was completed at a cost of ₹43.53 crore, while procurement of the 125 buses cost ₹214.50 crore.
The initiative is being implemented under the Chennai City Partnership – Sustainable Urban Services Programme (CCP–SUSP), with support from the World Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). Under the programme, the Tamil Nadu government plans to deploy 625 low-floor electric buses in Chennai through the MTC to help reduce environmental pollution.
The rollout is being carried out in phases from five depots, with the overall project cost estimated at ₹697 crore. In the first phase, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin flagged off 120 low-floor electric buses in June, followed by a second phase in August, when 135 buses were introduced by Udhayanidhi Stalin.
The 125 buses launched on December 19 form the third phase and will operate from Poonamallee to destinations including Anna Square, Broadway, Red Hills, T. Nagar, Kilambakkam Kalaignar Centenary Bus Terminus (KCBT), Tiruvallur, and Sunguvarchathram.
Ministers S.S. Sivasankar (Transport) and S.M. Nasar (Minorities Welfare and Non-Resident Tamils Welfare), along with senior officials, attended the event.