The opening adds seven new underground stations to the line, including the interchange, and extends it to 32.1km-long.

The network is operated with a fleet of 42 four-car Metropolis trains supplied by Alstom under a €243m contract awarded in 2010.

The line was inaugurated by the prime minister of India, Mr Narendra Modi, and the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, Mr Edappadi K Palaniswami, via video conferencing from Thiruppur, Tamil Nadu. The governor of Tamil Nadu, Mr Banwarilal Purohit and deputy chief minister of Tamil Nadu, Mr O Panneerselvam, were also present.

At Chennai Central Metro Station, union minister, Mr Hardeep Singh Puri, minister for Fisheries, Mr D Jayakumar, minister for social welfare, Dr V Saroja, and minister for industries, Mr M C Sampath, took part in the video conference before taking a ride on the metro to AG-DMS via Washermenpet.

The opening follows the completion of the 4.8km stretch of the Blue Line from Little Mount to AG-DMS and the 2.6km Nehru Park - Central Station section of the Green Line in May 2018.

In addition, work began in 2016 to extend the line by a further 9km and eight stations to the Blue Line terminus at Wimco Nagar. The line will continue in tunnels until Korukkupet and then continue on an elevated alignment for its remaining length. The extension is expected to open in 2022.