• PAGE ONE
• INDEX
• HOME

Chennai's MRTS: Not on fast track, yet

Raja Simhan T. E

THE SOUTHERN Railway has been trying to woo Chennaites into using the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS), though without much success. A majority of the travelling public in Chennai still prefers the crowded public transport buses to the new r ailway system, much of which is on an elevated structure.

The MRTS was supposed to be the answer to Chennai's public transportation problems, what with the exponential growth in the city's population and the congestion on the roads.

However, that has not happened. Some feel the MRTS is only a tourist attraction and a nice way to get an aerial view of the city. The train service currently is not ideal for daily travel because of the fare, which is 50 per cent more than the bus fare. The frequency of trains too is lower compared to the bus service.

The MRTS was conceived after a study by the Madras Area Transport Study Unit (MATSU), which identified eight important transport corridors, of which the 39-km north-south-east corridor along the Buckingham Canal was shortlisted.

The first phase of the Rs. 269-crore MRTS project was fully funded by the Railways, and the entire land, including private land, was given free of cost and free of encumbrances, by the Tamil Nadu Government.

In the first phase, started over a decade ago, the Beach Station (in north Chennai) was connected to Chepauk (in Central Chennai); this section was opened in November 1995. However, this stretch of the MRTS did not attract many passengers and most trains ran empty. The service was then extended to Thirumailai in October 1997, after which too the system has not got the anticipated patronage. The Southern Railway even extended a few services to far away places such as Gummudipoondi, at the other end, all to no avail. The reasons attributed for the poor response were high commuting cost and the short distance, 8.97 km, which did not cover the areas where there was high commuter traffic.

And, for the slum-dwellers along the track, the MRTS stations provide ideal shelter. Of course, the Railways is trying to make commercial use of the stations by letting out space for shops. Some MRTS stations also house general ticket booking counters. T he authorities have also been trying to ensure inter-modal transfer of passengers by providing bus bays in the station compound.

According to Mr. R. Ramanathan, Chief Engineer, Metropolitan Transport Project (Railways), the MRTS has the capacity to ferry some six lakh commuters daily. However, the service has been attracting only around 25,000 passengers per day, that too only dur ing peak hours. He points out that even people living near the MRTS railway stations prefer the buses.

However, the Southern Railway hopes things will be different once the second phase of the project -- from Tirumailai to Velacheri -- is completed. The nearly Rs. 715-crore second phase will have 7.8 km on an elevated level and 3.13 km on the surfa ce. The project commenced in March 1998 and is expected to be completed by March 2002.

The encroachments were evicted recently, and over 95 per cent of the foundation and structural works for the entire elevated portion have been completed. Contracts for the superstructure for the entire elevated portion, consisting of 702 PSC box girders and 16 PSC I girders, have also been finalised.

Two road under-bridges, one road over-bridge (six lane) and four minor bridges, for water flow, are to be constructed in the surface portion of the alignment. Provision has also been made for an EMU maintenance depot at Velacheri.

For the second phase of the project, a third of the cost is being borne by the Railways and the remaining by the State Government. Once Velacheri is connected with Beach Station, Mr. Ramanathan feels the traffic will be far better in the stretch as all t he stations in between will easily feed over six lakh commuters a day, the number originally anticipated by the Railways. Traffic will improve significantly, and the Railways will be forced to increase the train length.

In addition, since the State Government is also actively involved in the second phase of project, unlike in first phase where its role was only to provide land, it will see to it that there is a balance between road and rail traffic.

Mr. Ramanathan indicates that all the nine railway stations between Thirumailai and Velacheri will have spacious parking space. This is to attract two- and four-wheeler owners who can park their vehicles and use the MRTS, as is done in Mumbai, to avoid t he city traffic. In addition, two major bus terminals, Thirumailai and Tiruvanmiyur, are being planned, which will act as interchanges. Commercial complexes are also being planned and are likely to be constructed above the railways stations, to generate revenues, Mr. Ramanathan says.

The first phase led to an operational loss because of poor traffic. However, this will be offset, once the service is extended till Velacheri. The areas in and around Velacheri are densely populated, and people will slowly switch over to the MRTS, once t hey find the service much better than travelling by bus, it is felt.

The total length of entire MRTS envisaged was 59.38 km, a circular route from Chennai Beach to Ennore/Tiruvottiyur (industrial zones north of Chennai). Out of this 8.96 km from Chennai Beach to Tirumailai has been commissioned, and work is in progress fo r the 11.16 km from Tirumailai to Velacheri.

The third phase of the project, a 5-km stretch from Velacheri to St. Thomas Mount is proposed to be taken up. This will be critical for the MRTS project, as it will connect the MRTS to the Chennai Beach-Tambaram metre gauge (MG) suburban system (sanction ed for conversion as broad gauge).

The Tamil Nadu Government has agreed to bear two-thirds of the cost of extending the MRTS to St. Thomas Mount.

RITES, which did the feasibility study on behalf of the State Government, had presented its initial proposal to Metropolitan Transport Project (Railways), and the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority in February.

A final report is likely to be submitted shortly. Based on the report, a proposal will be put to the Railway Board for clearance, Mr. Ramanathan adds.

Pic.: The base pillars for the MRTS tracks form a neat, symmetrical row in the Taramani stretch.