
Almost 18 years since the project was announced, the long overdue extension of the Chennai Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) from Velachery to St. Thomas Mount has struck yet another obstacle this time in the form of continuing work on Chennai Metro Phase 2 near the St. Thomas Mount station.
The ₹495-crore project, which was opened in 2007 by the then Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, remained dormant for years due to a 500-metre land acquisition problem, which has now been resolved. Southern Railway had also expected to complete the extension in March 2024, but overlapping Metro works above the overpass MRTS track are now going to lead to further delays.
A senior official from Southern Railway confirmed that despite clearing land issues and successfully installing critical 50-metre-long girders in October 2023 an operation that involved over 100 engineers and significant disruption to suburban and long-distance train services the project continues to face setbacks.
In January 2024, the collapse of the final girder near Thillai Ganga Nagar subway dealt another blow. Although the girder was reinstalled last month, further progress hinges on Chennai Metro Rail Ltd (CMRL) executing their girder work over the MRTS tracks at St. Thomas Mount for the Sholinganallur–Porur line. A joint coordination meeting between Southern Railway and CMRL is expected soon, with officials targeting completion in three months once Metro construction wraps up.
Locals remain frustrated. “The MRTS extension has been dragging on for years,” said T. Manimaran, a resident of Adambakkam. “Now the Metro work is causing more delays. This project had so much potential.”
The 5-km stretch, running along the southern arm of the Inner Ring Road, includes new stations at Ullagaram and Adambakkam areas still waiting for better connectivity.
R. Sethu Madhava, another commuter, said, “With no end in sight, Southern Railway should at least increase train frequency currently every 15 minutes during peak hours. The MRTS is being neglected.”
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