Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation for infrastructure projects worth more than Rs 13,000 crore in Tamil Nadu on Sunday, focusing on metro rail, highways, railways, ports, and petroleum sectors.

The event took place at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras in Chennai. Key projects included the Poonamallee-Vadapalani stretch of the Chennai Metro Rail Phase II, built at a cost of around Rs 4,900 crore. Modi also traveled on the new metro section with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay.

National highway projects totaling approximately Rs 3,700 crore were inaugurated or had foundations laid, including sections of NH-744 and the Madurai Ring Road. Railway initiatives worth over Rs 750 crore featured the Karaikal-Peralam line, rail flyovers near Coimbatore, and five redeveloped Amrit stations.

Additional projects covered port upgrades at Chennai, Kamarajar, and V.O. Chidambaranar ports, along with a Rs 1,620 crore lubricant base stocks plant at the Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited refinery.

In his address, Modi stated that the projects would ease transport, create jobs for youth, and support the state's growth. He emphasized the central government's commitment to extending all possible assistance to Tamil Nadu regardless of changes in state leadership.

Vijay highlighted his government's target of transforming Tamil Nadu into a $1.5 trillion economy by 2036. He thanked Modi for the projects and requested further approvals, including for Chennai Metro Phase III and metro systems in other cities.

The initiatives align with broader efforts to expand metro networks across India, which have grown from 250 km in 2014 to 1,100 km in 2026, according to Modi.