Chennai Mass Rapid Transit System

Background

The Chennai Suburban Railway started operations in 1931 on a single electrified line from Chennai Beach to Tambaram. Suburban services commenced on the second line between Chennai Central and Gummidipoondi in 1985 the third line from Central towards Arakkonam was added later. In 1965, the Planning Commission formed a group to study the suitability of the existing transportation network, to ascertain the viability of various ways of transportation and advocate plans for the expansion of transportation in metropolitan cities including Madras.

Planning

Surveys were conducted to supplement the existing transport infrastructure in Madras, such as the Madras Area Transportation Study (1968), Integrated Transport Plan (1977) and Madras Route Rationalisation Study (1986). The Madras Area Transportation Study Unit (MATSU) identified eight important transport corridors including the north–southeastern rail corridor connecting Kasturba Nagar and Manali Road. The study suggested the implementation of a rail-based Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) on the southern section of the line along the Buckingham Canal, connecting to the existent suburban system. The system was envisaged as a 59.38 km loop line connecting Chennai Beach and Tiruvottiyur.

Since the planned railway line would pass through congested parts of the city, an elevated rail system was selected, to avoid land acquisition problems. The project was intended to be implemented in four phases: Chennai Beach to Thirumayilai, Tirumayilai to St. Thomas Mount, St. Thomas Mount to Villivakkam and Villivakkam to Ennore.

Construction and opening

Phase I

The project was sanctioned for implementation by the Ministry of Railways, Government of India in 1983-84. After multiple delays, construction began in 1991 and part of the first phase from Chennai Beach to Chepauk was completed in 1995. It became operational on 16 November 1995 and was the first operational elevated railway line in India. The line was extended to Thirumayilai in 1997. The cost of construction of the first phase between Chennai Beach and Thirumayilai, estimated to be , was fully financed by the Government of India. The first phase was projected to serve about 600,000 passengers per day.

Phase II

RITES conducted further studies in 1987 and 1994 on the effectiveness of the existing public transport system for the growing population. The studies proposed further expansion of the MRTS line. In 1998, the Railway Board sanctioned Phase II of the project from Thirumayilai to Velachery. Part of the Phase II line from Thirumaylai to Thiruvanmiyur was opened on 26 January 2004. It initially consisted of a single line of track for both forward and return journeys. On 19 November 2007, the network was extended from Thiruvanmiyur to Velachery. While the state government gave only the required land for the first phase, it contributed two-thirds of the total project cost of for the second phase.

Phase II extension

The construction for the extended second phase of the project connecting Velachery with St. Thomas Mount started in 2008. It was planned at an estimated cost of with the central government bearing two-thirds of the cost and the state government bearing the rest. The initial planned alignment was altered subsequently and necessitated the demolition of over 70 residential units, which led to protests by the locals. In the Government of India's annual Railway Budget of 2012, it was announced that the line would be commissioned in 2013. In October 2012, Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) resumed the land acquisition for the proposed extension after the Madras High Court vacated its earlier stay order on the same. While land acquisition was completed for the construction of majority of the line by April 2013, there were further delays in acquiring land for about 0.5 km of the stretch and the construction of Puzhuthivakkam station. , the construction of about 3.7 km of the proposed extension was complete.

In May 2014, the High Court ruled that compensation be paid as per newly enacted Land Acquisition Act 2013 on the cases filed by the land owners. In March 2016, the Southern Railway stated that the final phase of the MRTS would take at least 18 months after the state government handed over land to Indian Railways and that it had not yet done so. In 2018, further discussion between the CMDA and the land owners on the compensation to be paid for the land acquisition failed. , the Indian Railways had completed the construction of Adambakkam Puzhuthivakkam stations and about 0.5 km of the line was pending for construction. In 2019, the Madras High Court directed the CMDA to pay higher compensation to the land owners. However, the CMDA filed a review petition against the order in the Indian Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court ordered fair compensation for the land owners and directed the CMDA to complete the land acquisition by 8 January 2021. In June 2022, officials announced that the land acquisition for the final stretch would be completed in the next three months. In July 2023, the authorities said that the construction will be completed by the end of the month and the line will be commissioned for use within the end of the year. On 18 January 2024, a concrete girder on the stretch collapsed, which was expected to further delay the opening of the line. Multiple deadlines to make complete the construction of the final phase have not been met.

Future plans

The third and fourth phases of the MRTS were initially planned to connect St. Thomas Mount with Villivakkam and Villivakkam with Ennore. The plans have been shelved after the lines overlapped with the proposed extension of the Chennai Metro Rail. In early 2024, a feasibility report was submitted to the state government for a new line from Poonamallee and the planned new airport at Parandur. The 43.63 km line would have 19 stations and is expected to cost .

With the Chennai Metro operational since 2015, the Indian Railways proposed for the MRTS system to be taken over by Chennai Metro Rail Limited in 2017. In July 2018, PwC said that the merger would be expensive, costing around to replace the train-sets and establish other facilities. On 11 May 2022, the Southern Railway zone of the Indian Railways granted in-principle approval for the takeover. , the take over was still pending as the Indian Railway Board had not approved the same.

Infrastructure

Network and lines

The MRTS line is largely elevated, with at-grade sections at its terminals. The 19 km line from Chennai Beach to Velachery has a 15 km elevated section and runs for about 4 km at surface. From Chennai Beach to Park Town, the line runs at-grade along the suburban railway line. From the Park Town station, the line becomes elevated and roughly follows the course of the Buckingham Canal, which runs parallel to the Coromandel Coast. The line remains elevated for the alignment of the second phase up to Perungudi, after which it returns to an at-grade section at the Velachery station. The 5 km extension of the line from Velachery to St. Thomas Mount is planned to be elevated.

The route taken by the MRTS line has resulted in the pillars of the elevated section of the railway encroaching the Buckingham Canal. Although the pillars were placed basis the approval of the state government, the government later proposed plans to restore the canal to make it navigable. However, as the MRTS pillars have reduced the canal width, a section of the canal is not navigable, and the pillars block the flow of rainwater discharge.

Track

The Chennai MRTS line bears greater resemblance to the suburban railway than a rapid transit line as it uses the same broad gauge (5 ft 6in) as the Chennai Suburban Railway system, allowing the usage of same train-sets across the existing suburban lines and the MRTS. Ballastless track is used between Tirumayilai and Velachery stations. The trains use 25 kV overhead catenary for traction.

Rolling stock

The Chennai MRTS uses nine-car electrical multiple unit train sets. A nine-car rake typically has three sets of three motor coaches each at the front, the middle and the last with electric motors used to drive the wheels of the train at a stipulated speed. The EMU coaches are manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai. The coaches are not air-conditioned and are equipped with two-class (first and second class) passenger seating configuration.

Stations

, the MRTS line has 18 operational stations. The Chennai Beach station, one of the termini, is a hub for several suburban trains. Along with the Chennai Fort station, it offers connectivity to the commercial area of Broadway. The Park Town station is located near the Chennai Central station, which is a hub for other suburban lines and for long-distance express trains.

Places of interest such as Parthasarathy Temple, Kapaleeshwarar Temple and Mundagakanniamman Koil are located close to the MRTS railway line. Marina Beach spans along a stretch of the line close to Thiruvallikeni station. The Chepauk station is located close to the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium. The MRTS passes along the Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR), which also forms part of the information technology corridor where many companies are located.

Upon completion of the St. Thomas Mount station at the southern end of the proposed alignment, the station will have three types of railway networks. The suburban and long-distance express trains would ply on the conventional tracks at ground level, the elevated MRTS line will be located at the first level and the Chennai Metro operating at the second level. There are large stations on the existing MRTS line designed to accommodate six and nine-car train rakes with attached parking lots.

Indian Railways has made various plans to use the empty space in the MRTS stations. In February 2009, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) announced plans to set up food stalls at MRTS stations with the first such stall inaugurated in April 2018 at Thiruvanmiyur station.

MRTS has been criticised by the public for poor maintenance of the stations, lack of inter-modal transport facilities and security issues. The director of Chennai Metro called for the various government agencies to work together to improve the connectivity to the stations. The stations often face issues such as seepage of rainwater and no access to clean drinking water. A 2006 report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India cited delays in installation of station amenities such as escalators.

In 2012, there was a shortage of the Railway Protection Force personnel at MRTS stations, which raised security concerns. In 2013, to improve the security for the passengers using the network, Indian Railways declared that the MRTS stations would have a single designated entry and exit point as it was difficult for the existing RPF personnel to monitor multiple gates at the same time. If the planned takeover by Chennai Metro is completed, the existing line is planned to be upgraded to be compatible with the metro system. Plans to modernise infrastructure include improved facilities at stations and single integrated ticketing system among others.

Operations

The operational route length between Chennai Beach and Velachery is 19.34 km with a journey time of more than 45 minutes one way. The system handles about 70 trains on weekdays and reduced capacity on Sundays. In 2012, Indian Railways made the schedule for the MRTS services available on Google Maps on Android smartphones. The trains can be tracked in real time and the users are provided with updates through an automated SMS system.

Fares and ticketing

The minimum fare for a second class is . A second class ticket from Beach to Velachery is priced at . First class tickets cost about five times higher than the second class fare. In addition to one-time tickets, the Southern Railway issues monthly tickets and quarterly season tickets for frequent travelers. Short validity tickets are available for tourists. The tickets can be bought at the railway ticket counters or booked through a mobile application.

Patronage

The ridership of the Chennai MRTS system increased from approximately 9,000 in 2003 to 66,518 passengers per day in 2008. When the line was extended up to Velachery in 2007, the daily ridership increased and it saw a three-fold increase in the revenue. , the daily ridership is about 100,000. Three stations—Beach, Thirumayilai, and Velachery—account for nearly 40 percent of the ridership.

In 2010, the Indian Railways rolled out dedicated trains for women, which saw poor patronage. In 2023, Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA) introduced new plans to improve last-mile connectivity to the stations. Indian Railways operates special trains on certain occasions to boost revenue. As the route passes close to some popular religious sites, the MRTS operates special trains during popular religious festivals such as the Vaikunta Ekadashi at Parthasarathy Temple in Thiruvallikeni and the Arupathumoovar festival at the Kapaleeshwarar Temple in Thirumayilai. Special trains are run when cricket matches are hosted at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk, during Kaanum Pongal festival at Marina Beach, and during bus strikes.

As the MRTS system is not fully integrated with other modes of transportation in the city, access to the stations is an issue. As per a survey conducted in 2012, the public called for special focus on pedestrian facilities that would provide access to MRTS stations from nearby roads and bus stops, as well as identifying new feeder routes for the network. Post the completion of the under construction extension, the MRTS system will be connected to the Suburban Railway and the Metro. This would enable commuters to access the railway grid of the different operational rail systems and facilitate improved connectivity from the stations on the MRTS network. The proposed extension up to St. Thomas Mount is expected to increase patronage from people working in the IT establishments, residences and other offices located close to the MRTS network.

Finances

In a 10 month period in 2009–10, the MRTS earned a revenue of with coming from ticketing sales. It had operating expenses of about , which translated to net loss of more than . , the MRTS registered revenues of annually. With estimated operational expenses of about , the annual loss widened to . A major contributor to the losses is the revenue deficit due to subsidised cheaper fares offered by the Southern Railway, which runs the service.

References

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