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Mass Rapid Transit System (Chennai)
Encyclopedia
- For the true metro under construction, see Chennai MetroChennai MetroThe Chennai Metro is a rapid transit system in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The Phase I of the project consisting of two corridors is under construction. The elevated section of the project is scheduled to be operational by 2013 and the entire project is scheduled to be completed by the financial...
Elevated railway
An elevated railway is a form of rapid transit railway with the tracks built above street level on some form of viaduct or other steel or concrete structure. The railway concerned may be constructed according to the standard gauge, narrow gauge, light rail, monorail or suspension railway system...
of the urban mass rapid transit
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
system (metro-like cityrail) in Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
(Madras), India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The line currently runs within the city from Chennai Beach
Chennai Beach
Chennai Beach , formerly known as Madras Beach, is a railway terminus of the Southern Railway Network in Chennai , India. This station handles mainly suburban trains in Chennai suburban railway and a few passenger trains...
(Madras Beach) to Velachery
Velachery
-Geography:Velachery has mostly areas of hard rock, and a big marshland in the southern region of the area. It is said that this marshland was once a natural bird sanctuary. But nowadays, due to encroachment and rapid real estate development, the sanctuary has disappeared. Even today there is a big...
, covering a distance of 25 km with 21 stations. In spite of full technical and logical separation from the Chennai Suburban Railway
Chennai suburban railway
Chennai suburban railway is a commuter rail system in the Indian city of Chennai operated by the Southern Railway. Chennai has a complex railway network. The system uses electrical multiple units operating on alternating current drawn from over-head cables through the catenary system...
, the MRTS is operated by the state-owned Southern Railway
Southern Railway (India)
The Southern Railway is the earliest of the 16 zones of the Indian Railways created in independent India. It was created on April 14, 1951 by merging three state railways namely Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway, the South Indian Railway, and the Mysore State Railway. The South Indian Railway...
, a zone of Indian Railways
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
.
History
Chennai, India's fourth-largest urban agglomeration, has a well-established suburban railway networkChennai suburban railway
Chennai suburban railway is a commuter rail system in the Indian city of Chennai operated by the Southern Railway. Chennai has a complex railway network. The system uses electrical multiple units operating on alternating current drawn from over-head cables through the catenary system...
, which dates back to 1931, when services began on the metre-gauge line from Beach
Chennai Beach
Chennai Beach , formerly known as Madras Beach, is a railway terminus of the Southern Railway Network in Chennai , India. This station handles mainly suburban trains in Chennai suburban railway and a few passenger trains...
to Tambaram
Tambaram
Tambaram is a suburb of Chennai situated 27 km south of the city in Tamil Nadu, India. It is an urban node. Tambaram is a hub to all major destinations in south Tamil Nadu as it lies on the busy Chennai–Trichy national highway. The highway and the railway line from Chennai Egmore to...
. Two more suburban services were begun in 1985—Madras Central
Chennai Central
Chennai Central , erstwhile Madras Central, is the main railway terminus in the city of Chennai . It is the home of the Southern Railway and the most important rail hub in South India. The other major railway hub stations in the city are Chennai Egmore and Tambaram...
to Arakkonam
Arakkonam
Arakkonam is a mid-sized City in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, with a population of about 101,626 as per the census 2011...
and Madras Central to Gummidipoondi
Gummidipoondi
Gummidipoondi is an industrial town in Thiruvallur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.Gummdipoondi lies on the National Highway 5 from Chennai to Calcutta. This road is part of the Golden Quadrilateral which is a project launched by the Vajpayee Government...
, both of which were broad-gauge services.
In the 1980s, the government began planning for a new railway line inside the city. The suburban lines offered no connectivity to Central and South Madras (as Chennai was known then). Planning began in 1985 and construction was started in 1991. The first phase was much delayed and finally opened in 1995, but only upto Chepauk
Chepauk
Chepauk is a locality in Chennai , in India. The name Chepauk is popularly used to refer to the M. A. Chidambaram International Cricket Stadium also known as Chepauk Stadium. It is also home to the Chepauk palace, built in the Indo-Saracenic style...
. In 1997, the rest of the stations from Chepauk to Mylapore
Mylapore
Mylapore is a cultural hub and neighborhood in the southern part of the city of Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, India. Earlier, Mylapore used to be called Vedapuri....
were completed and services started in 1997. The section of the line encompassing the first 3 stations—Beach, Fort
Fort St George
Fort St George is the name of the first English fortress in India, founded in 1639 at the coastal city of Madras, the modern city of Chennai. The construction of the Fort provided the impetus for further settlements and trading activity, in what was originally a no man's land...
and Park, are at grade; after Park it begins climbing. All the stations after Park—Chintadripet, Chepauk, Tiruvallikeni, Lighthouse and Thirumaylai
Mylapore
Mylapore is a cultural hub and neighborhood in the southern part of the city of Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, India. Earlier, Mylapore used to be called Vedapuri....
are elevated. The line from Park to Thirumaylai follows the course of the Buckingham Canal
Buckingham Canal
The Buckingham Canal is a long fresh water navigation canal, running parallel to the Coromandel Coast of South India from Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh to Villupuram District in Tamil Nadu. The canal connects most of the natural backwaters along the coast to the port of Chennai...
, which runs parallel to the Coromandel Coast
Coromandel Coast
The Coromandel Coast is the name given to the southeastern coast of the Indian Subcontinent between Cape Comorin and False Divi Point...
.
The second phase of the MRTS connects Thirumaylai with Velachery
Velachery
-Geography:Velachery has mostly areas of hard rock, and a big marshland in the southern region of the area. It is said that this marshland was once a natural bird sanctuary. But nowadays, due to encroachment and rapid real estate development, the sanctuary has disappeared. Even today there is a big...
, a southern suburb. All the stations till Perungudi
Perungudi
-Geography:Perungudi is located at . It has an average elevation of 9 metres .- Economy :What was a sleeping small village has become a vibrant and thriving commercial/residential hub after the boom in the Indian IT industry. Perungudi had developed an industrial estate in the 90's...
are elevated. One of the main stations in this stretch is the Thiruvanmiyur
Thiruvanmiyur
-Transport:The area is easily accessible by Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses and has a sprawling bus terminus. Bus Routes connecting Thiruvanmiyur with other places in Chennai are: 1, 1A, 1C, 1D, 6D, 22A, 23C Extn., 29M,29C Extn., 41C, A47, 47A, 47D, M1, M49, M7, C51, T51, M23, M19, M70,...
Station, which is just across the Tidel Park
Tidel Park
TIDEL Park is an information technology park situated in the city of Chennai, India. The name TIDEL is a portmanteau of TIDCO and ELCOT. An ISO 9001/14001 company, it is the largest IT park in Asia...
. The elevated track between Thiruvanmiyur and Velachery was opened to public on 19 November 2007. Further from Velachery station, the work on the third phase is going on and will end in St.Thomas Mount Station, with two stations between Velachery and St.Thomas Mount, namely, Puzhuthivakam and Adambakkam
Adambakkam
Adambakkam is a suburb of Chennai, a city located on the east coast of South India. It is a thickly populated suburb close to the St. Thomas Mount Railway Station. Adambakkam is surrounded by suburbs such as Alandur, Palavanthangal, Nanganallur, Vanuvampet, Puzhuthivakkam, Velachery and Guindy....
.
Design
Each MRTS station is designed by a different architect and is built to accommodate a full-length EMU (Electric Multiple UnitElectric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...
) rake, possibly consisting of 9 or 12 cars. Currently six-car and nine-car rakes are run on the line, as the traffic on the MRTS Line is considerably less than the three Suburban Lines, where nine and twelve-car rakes run daily. Though the headway is expected once the patronage increases steadily. The MRTS runs from Beach to Velachery in about 40 minutes (compared to 2 hours by road in peak hours for the same distance). The first train from Beach starts at 4:15 am and the last starts at 9:35 pm. In reverse the first train from Velachery starts at 5:00 am and runs till 10.20 pm. MRTS runs a total of 62 pairs (Up and Down) of train on a daily basis on weekdays. But on Sundays it is considerably less. The trains run on the MRTS are 'normal' EMUs, and do not have automatic doors like a Metro train. This is because the MRTS is considered to be an elevated extension of the Suburban Network and not a Metro System, as such. However, the MRTS can be considered a Metro, since it is elevated for the majority of its length, and its services are exclusive, i.e. no other trains run on the MRTS Line.
Corridors
Corridor 1: Chennai Beach (MSB) — St. Thomas Mount (STM) [24.715 km]Corridor 2: Thiruvanmiyur (TVMR) — Mamallapuram
It has been proposed to extend the MRTS corridor from Thiruvanmiyur to Mamallapuram
Corridor 1: Chennai BeachChennai BeachChennai Beach , formerly known as Madras Beach, is a railway terminus of the Southern Railway Network in Chennai , India. This station handles mainly suburban trains in Chennai suburban railway and a few passenger trains...
— St. Thomas MountSt. Thomas MountSt. Thomas Mount, or Parangimalai is a small hillock located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Located near the neighbourhood of Guindy and very close to Chennai International Airport, St. Thomas Mount is associated with St. Thomas, the apostle of Christ, who is believed to have been martyred here...
Phases
The project involves three phases, of which Phase I and Phase II are completed. Phase II extension is under construction.| Phase | Length (elevated) in km | Route | Stations | Cost (Initial Estimate) in crore rupees | Sanction | Opening | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phase I | 8.55 (5.80) | Chennai Beach - Thirumayilai | 8 | 260 (53.46) | 1984 | Nov 1, 1995 | Oct 19, 1997 |
| Phase II | 11.16 (11) | Thirumayilai - Velachery | 9 | 665 (733.4) | 1998 | Jan 26, 2004 | Nov 19, 2007 |
| Phase II Ext | 5 (5) | Velachery - St. Thomas Mount St. Thomas Mount St. Thomas Mount, or Parangimalai is a small hillock located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Located near the neighbourhood of Guindy and very close to Chennai International Airport, St. Thomas Mount is associated with St. Thomas, the apostle of Christ, who is believed to have been martyred here... |
3 | (417) | 2007 | Exp. 2012 | |
| Phase III | 16.76 (~10.76) | St. Thomas Mount- Villivakkam Villivakkam - History :According to legend, two demons, 'Ilvalan' and 'Vatapi', who were born to Sage Dhurva and Aswamukhi, tortured the entire world and killed many innocent people. One of the demons used to take the shape of a fruit and the other used to offer it to some innocent passer-by and after he... |
10 | - | - | - |
source:CMDA
Phase II extension
Work on the 5 km, three-station Phase II extension from Velachery to St. Thomas Mount started in 2008, for completion by December 2010. The cost of the project is estimated at Rs. 495.7 croreCrore
A crore is a unit in the Indian number system equal to ten million , or 100 lakhs. It is widely used in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan....
. However, one of the prime contractors is Maytas Infra, a subsidiary of the troubled Satyam, and Southern Railway has expressed its concern about an apparent halt in work since last 2008.
Phase III and beyond
The planned route for the MRTS will see it turn north after St Thomas Mount and touch the Suburban Line to Arakkonam at Villivakkam before continuing further North East and eventually going down to Grade, i.e. surface level again and merging with the Suburban Line to GummidipoondiGummidipoondi
Gummidipoondi is an industrial town in Thiruvallur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.Gummdipoondi lies on the National Highway 5 from Chennai to Calcutta. This road is part of the Golden Quadrilateral which is a project launched by the Vajpayee Government...
at Tondiarpet
Tondiarpet
Tondiarpet constitutes an important suburban region of Chennai city. The place is located in the northern outskirts and close to the nearby sea that is Bay of Bengal. Tondiarpet is one important commercial centre in the north of the city. The place shares its boundaries with other important...
.
MRTS take over by CMRL
As of now, Southern Railways operates the MRTS Section. On August 2010, Mr.T.V. Somanathan, Managing Director, Chennai Metro Rail has proposed a plan for take over of MRTS by the Chennai Metro Rail Limited once the Metro becomes operational. Acquisition of MRTS with Chennai Metro will create a single point authority for all the elevated rail networks in Chennai. After the merger, the current MRTS rail stretch will run Advanced rail cars with air-conditioned rakes that have automatic doors and the same will replace all the normal EMUs.Criticism
The MRTS has often come under criticism for poor maintenance, lack of security and no connectivity options with other transit systems. There is also a wastage of floor space in all its stations which was initially planned to be used for commercial purposes. In Early 1970s, Madras Area Traffic Study Unit (MATSU) has estimated about six lakh per day patronage by commuters. Currently, only about 70,000 people travel by MRTS making the MRTS a failed project.The Operational cost of the entire stretch is about Rs.18 lakh per day while revenue generated mounts to only Rs.3 lakh per day. With this, MRTS incurs an annual operational loss of about Rs.54.7 crore. According to the view of Railway officials, the operational loss will be mitigated by execution of Phase II of the project (Thirumalai to Velacherry).
See also
- List of Chennai MRTS stations
- Chennai Suburban RailwayChennai suburban railwayChennai suburban railway is a commuter rail system in the Indian city of Chennai operated by the Southern Railway. Chennai has a complex railway network. The system uses electrical multiple units operating on alternating current drawn from over-head cables through the catenary system...
- Chennai MetroChennai MetroThe Chennai Metro is a rapid transit system in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The Phase I of the project consisting of two corridors is under construction. The elevated section of the project is scheduled to be operational by 2013 and the entire project is scheduled to be completed by the financial...