Come November, it will be 20 years since the first train services on the elevated Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) from Chennai Beach towards Velachery was launched. The elevated railway track was planned along the Buckingham Canal in an effort to ease the chaotic traffic on arterial roads and also, to reduce the travel time for the rapidly-growing population of the southern suburbs.
While the MRTS project inched forward for over twelve years before the stretch to Velachery was completed, the transport system has always had a loyal commuter base from the western and southern suburban belts of the city. The MRTS was launched with three-car rakes, which has over time been increased to six-car and now, nine- car services during the 20 years of operation.
A senior official of the Southern Railway said the MRTS patronage has been growing year by year. It reached one lakh commuters per day this year against 75,000 per day in 2009 and 3 lakh per month in 2002 (services from Chennai Beach to Thirumayilai). A total of 136 train services (both up and down) are operated on the stretch with trains available every 10 minutes during morning and evening peak hours, he added.
The astounding rise in patronage over the years has also been mainly due to the maximum ticket price of Rs. 10 for the 19.34-kilometre ride. Commuters point out that the MRTS services could see higher patronage if the railway stations have better bus connectivity, proper maintenance and enough lighting and security.
S. Mohan Ram, member, Divisional Railway Users Consultative Committee, said the MRTS has come a long way in providing dependable public transport services from the first launch of train services between Chennai Beach and Chepauk. He said even the train services from Chennai Beach on a single track between Thirumayilai and Thiruvanmiyur were well-received by the crowd that heads out to the IT corridor.
