The first train stopped, on Wednesday, at the new Mundakakanni Amman station on the MRTS section, located between the Light House and Thirumayilai stations.
Commuters who had no option but to board at Thirumayilai or the Light House station can now use this new station, which is located near Brindavan Street and Mundakakanni Amman Koil Street in Mylapore.
Railway sources said the work on the station had begun in 2003 and was completed two years ago. A senior officer conceded that there was an inordinate delay in completing the work as a couple of contractors had abandoned the work during the period.
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At the station, on the first day, nearly 90 tickets were sold, resulting in revenue of Rs. 1,006. Officials at the ticket counter said they expected the ticket sales to improve in the coming days. “In both directions, we have to say the response was very good on the first day,” they said.
V.S. Rekha, a resident of Velachery who visits her mother at her residence in Mylapore near the station, welcomed the move, stating that in the past, she always had to hire an autorickshaw to reach the Thirumayilai railway station for the commute to Velachery.
With the new station becoming operational, crowds at the Thirumayilai and Light House stations will reduce. Railway authorities said the halt time for a train at the new station would be nearly a minute, and thus would not affect the operation of trains at the other stations.
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On the inaugural day, due to the absence of proper announcements at the station, a couple of passengers who were travelling from the Beach station to Thirumayilai, alighted at the new station.