Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has taken a step towards initiating the process of Metro taking over the MRTS in the city.
Sources in CMRL on Saturday said they had written to the ministry of urban development a few months ago, seeking sanction for the proposal.
“The government already suggested this integration. Now, the ministry of urban development in consultation with Railways will have to grant permission for this proposal. We wrote to the ministry, requesting them to nominate a committee to work out the modalities for this proposal,” said a CMRL official.
If the proposal receives approval, the groundwork for this project might begin in another two years once the Metro Rail is up and running by 2015, the official said.
“When the Metro project was given sanction, we received suggestions from the government that Metro could take over the MRTS system after working out terms and conditions. If the initial work commences in two years, it may take a long time for the project to take shape. We need cooperation from the Railways to carry out this process,” he added.
There were other issues, including that of manpower for the MRTS, to be considered, the official said.