Chennai Mass Rapid Transit System

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 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. 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. 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 of the stretch and the construction of Puzhuthivakkam station. , the construction of about 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 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 and Puzhuthivakkam elevated stations, with about of the line pending for construction. In 2019, the Madras High Court directed the CMDA to pay higher compensation to the land owners. 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 revised deadlines to complete the construction of the final phase were not met. After the construction was completed, trial runs were conducted in the first week of March 2026. Commercial service began on the extended section from 14 March 2026. Future plans The third and fourth phases of the MRTS were initially planned to connect St. Thomas Mount with Villivakkam and Villivakkam with Ennore. 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 line from Chennai Beach to St. Thomas Mount is largely elevated, with a few at-grade sections along the line. The line runs at-grade for from Chennai Beach to Park Town, alongside the suburban railway line. 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, after which the final section of the line from Velachery to St. Thomas Mount is again elevated. 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 at Velachery station 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 in the elevated sections between Tirumayilai and St.Thomas Mount stations. The trains use 25 kV overhead catenary for traction. Rolling stock The Chennai MRTS earlier used six-car electrical multiple unit train sets, which was replaced by nine-car train sets in 2021. 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 , one of the stations on the MRTS line The MRTS line has 21 stations, and the stations are designed to accommodate six and nine-car train rakes. 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. The St. Thomas Mount station at the southern end of the line, serves as the intersection of various railway networks. The suburban and long-distance express trains ply on the conventional tracks at ground level, the elevated MRTS line is located at the first level, and the Chennai Metro operates at the second level. Places of interest such as Parthasarathy Temple, Kapaleeshwarar Temple and Mundagakanniamman Koil are located close to the MRTS railway line. 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. at Thirumayilai 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 St.Thomas Mount is with a journey time of more than 65 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 St. Thomas Mount 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. 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. 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 was expected to increase patronage from people working in the IT establishments, residences and other offices located close to the MRTS network, and the ridership increased following the opening of the extended section from Velachery to St. Thomas Mount in March 2026, as it provided access to metro and suburban lines. 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 . A major contributor to the losses is the revenue deficit due to subsidised cheaper fares offered by the Southern Railway, which runs the service. == See also ==