The fourth line project being executed by Southern Railway between Chennai Beach and Egmore is progressing at a fast pace with the railway officials confident of completing the work within seven months. The Southern Railway had announced that the fourth line project work would be completed by March next year. The Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) services, which are being truncated at Chintadripet railway station currently, would then be run till Beach station.
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However, once the fourth line project is completed, the MRTS trains would be operated on a single line between Fort and Beach, as one of the two tracks used at present would be set aside for the operating freight, mail and express trains. At present, five tracks are available between Chennai Fort and Chennai Beach with three tracks branching from the Egmore section and two for MRTS towards Fort.
B. Guganesan, Chief Public Relations Officer of Southern Railway, said the inability to get a portion of land from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was the reason for the MRTS having to give up one line between Fort and Beach.
Using one of the tracks between Fort and Beach from MRTS would cause operational constraints in the frequency of MRTS train services, say retired loco pilots and commuters. However, senior railway officials said it was only a short section and there would not be any such issues. The officials said they tried to get the land through the Ministry of Finance but to no avail.
Mr. Guganesan said about 70% of the platform shelters at Park Town and Fort railway stations had been dismantled along with platform walls. Similarly, the lines on the section have been dismantled and the sleepers and rails removed and shifted to the Royapuram yard. At present, construction and modification in the bridge work has been completed while pile work is in progress along the Cooum for facilitating construction of the fourth line between Fort and Egmore.