Even as the Southern Railway is working out the modalities for suspending the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) for the fourth line project to be carried out between Chennai Beach to Egmore, thousands of commuters are worried that the train services could be curtailed.
Earlier this week, an internal memo of the Southern Railway stating that the MRTS services from Velacherry would be terminated at Chepauk for seven months from July 1 went viral. However, the Southern Railway officials said they had not taken a final decision yet.
Over one lakh people travel by MRTS trains between Chennai Beach and Velachery every day. A majority of them are office-goers, daily wage labourers and passengers of long-distance trains.
Notices pasted at the ticket counters of MRTS stations informing commuters that the services would be suspended between Chennai Beach and Chepauk from July 1, 2023 to January 31, 2024 came as a jolt to the commuters.
Asked about the notice, the railway officials confirmed that the services would be suspended from July 1. “The discussions are on the feasibility of extending the services till Chintadripet and Park Station along with running a shuttle service from the station where it is proposed to be stopped to Chennai Beach,” said a senior railway official.
The Commercial Division of the Southern Railway put up the notice to alert season ticket holders, the officials clarified and added that the railways was working out modalities to minimise the hardship of the commuters.
Southern Railway’s Chennai division officials plan to meet the State government officials on Monday to explore the option of operating shuttle bus services from any of the railway stations, including Chepauk and Chintadripet.
Vidyasagar Jagadeesan, who regularly commutes by the MRTS train from Velachery, said stopping the services at Chepauk would cause severe inconvenience and there should be train services at least till Park Station for the benefit of those bound for the Central station and also those proceeding to Ambattur, Avadi and beyond.
Turnback facility
A retired loco pilot pointed out that the reason for suspending the train services at Chepauk was the availability of “turn back” facility. The turn back is the facility where the train could be changed from one track to another track and this facility is available only at Chepauk and Thirumayilai stations.
The fourth line project was envisaged between Chennai Beach and Egmore with an aim to bring down the congestion. This is because of the three tracks that are currently available, two are used for suburban services and one is being spared for running loco and express trains.
V. Santhanam, a resident of Chromepet, said thousands of people from the south travel from areas like Pallikaranai, Madipakkam and Medavakkam to Velachery, take an MRTS train to travel to Secretariat, Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital or Chennai Central.
“They should look for alternative arrangements instead of suspending services altogether since thousands of people rely on these trains. If they are indeed going to suspend it, then they should at least reduce the time period of suspension to cause less inconvenience,” he said.
