After almost twenty years of planning and construction, the 4.5 km extension of the MRTS line from Velachery to St Thomas Mount finally opened on Saturday. This new section connects Velachery with St Thomas Mount and adds an important link to the city’s transport system. With this extension, St Thomas Mount has become only the second major intermodal hub in the city after Chennai Central. At this hub, passengers can easily change between MRTS trains, suburban rail services, and Metro trains, making travel across Chennai much more convenient. Southern Railway planned to open three new stations along this stretch: St Thomas Mount, Puzhuthivakkam, and Adambakkam. However, only two of these stations are open for passengers at present. The Adambakkam station remains closed because construction work there is still not finished.
Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) is a suburban railway system in Chennai designed to provide fast and frequent train services within the city.
Confusion on Day 1
On the first day of service, many passengers experienced confusion while using the new stations. Several commuters said they did not know which platform their train would arrive at until the station made an announcement. Because of this uncertainty, some people had to rush from one platform to another at the last minute to catch their train.
This situation created particular difficulties for passengers who were using the new route for the first time. Trains on the line run only once every 25 minutes, so if a passenger misses a train, they must wait a long time for the next one. Many commuters said that clearer signs and better information at the stations would help reduce this problem.
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Passengers also complained about the approach roads and entrances to Puzhuthivakkam station. Some said the area around the station is still dirty and difficult to access. R Sekar, a resident of Puzhuthivakkam, said that people in the neighbourhood had waited many years for the station to open. However, he felt disappointed because the corridors were dirty and the entry points were not easy to use.
Even with these early problems, many commuters still welcomed the opening of the extension. They believe that the connection to St Thomas Mount will greatly improve travel across the city. By linking MRTS services with suburban trains and the Metro network, the extension will allow passengers to move more easily between different parts of Chennai.
