Chennai Suburban railway, Central, Egmore & Tambaram terminal updates.

[vijayvmail]

Originally Posted by jayaraj100

Bought smart card for Chennai sub urban services... I was skeptical that the machine will work. Awesome. It works in each time I went. So far I frequented park and Tambaram. Flawless, easy to use. Feeling shy when I walk away with ticket crossing lengthy queue. It costs only few bucks extra but worth. Wondering why it is not famous in chennai. I think SR hardly bothers. First I need to struggle a lot to get that (of course if you don't even know about it, obviously you will not look for where is it). The smart card issuing counter in Moore market treated me as if I had increased his work load (ennathu, card'a? Oru 15 nimisham wait pannu...). Luckily my temper I could control, waited and took card after 30min. If it doesn't work (in future), I will keep it as souvinier. I am sure it will one day.... Looking at the way it is placed every place...

Hope they improve (nothing wrong in hoping...)

Last time I saw (about 4-5 months back), the smart cards could be used only to buy single trip tickets and not season / monthly passes.

Lot of regular train users get monthly passes for which you still have to stand in the queue at least once a month.

Many people who buy single trip tickets are irregular users. The minimum card amount was Rs. 100 which may not be used at all. Plus all the hassles you mentioned in buying the card.

I've noticed the machine not working in many station. For one, i've never seen it work in Tambaram Sanatorium where I used to get down every day.

User friendliness is very important in any system. That is not the case here.

[jayaraj100]

Yes, you are right. This should be extended for season tick.... But, that requires access entry etc., mmmm.... I think as you said this meant only for non-regular commuter like me. This by design not meant for reducing the counter office load...

[wlbkng]

Originally Posted by vijayvmail

Last time I saw (about 4-5 months back), the smart cards could be used only to buy single trip tickets and not season / monthly passes.

Lot of regular train users get monthly passes for which you still have to stand in the queue at least once a month.

Many people who buy single trip tickets are irregular users. The minimum card amount was Rs. 100 which may not be used at all. Plus all the hassles you mentioned in buying the card.

I've noticed the machine not working in many station. For one, i've never seen it work in Tambaram Sanatorium where I used to get down every day.

User friendliness is very important in any system. That is not the case here.

Originally Posted by jayaraj100

Yes, you are right. This should be extended for season tick.... But, that requires access entry etc., mmmm.... I think as you said this meant only for non-regular commuter like me. This by design not meant for reducing the counter office load...

I think if card purchase is done online, it will have more takers..

One can register and order for the smart card online. It will be delivered in two days.. (just for the start)

Then you can renew/top-up online.. And just print the tickets using the machine at station before your journey. Also season tickets shall be made available using smart card.

[Arul Murugan]

Concerns over daily delay of Chengalpattu-Beach fast local trains!



maalaimalar

pic is mrts and not suburban

[Arul Murugan]

Originally Posted by jayaraj100

Bought smart card for Chennai sub urban services... I was skeptical that the machine will work. Awesome. It works in each time I went. So far I frequented park and Tambaram. Flawless, easy to use. Feeling shy when I walk away with ticket crossing lengthy queue. It costs only few bucks extra but worth. Wondering why it is not famous in chennai. I think SR hardly bothers. First I need to struggle a lot to get that (of course if you don't even know about it, obviously you will not look for where is it). The smart card issuing counter in Moore market treated me as if I had increased his work load (ennathu, card'a? Oru 15 nimisham wait pannu...). Luckily my temper I could control, waited and took card after 30min. If it doesn't work (in future), I will keep it as souvinier. I am sure it will one day.... Looking at the way it is placed every place...

Hope they improve (nothing wrong in hoping...)

this is the first positive review i am seeing on the automatic ticket vending machine. Good that atleast it is working fine at Tambaram and the station you have used.

The failure of ATVM - Automatic Ticket Vending Machine is

- non-availability, most of the time machine will not work
- Season ticket holders will not opt this! As it cost more than dead cheap season ticket.
- ATVM are not user friendly! It cannot be brought in every stations
- Poor advertisement by southern railway

b/w most of the amenities created by SR were mere scam and garbage

- Platform ticket vending machine - Flop system and it halted.
- Coins-Note change machine - Never works and the facility with drawn
- LED display for coaches, platform and train arrival/dep - only 50% it work
- ATVM - grossly under utilized
- Lifts/escalator - never works always at Egmore and MRTS stations

Just money is wasted on these amenities and helps oppicers to make money to their pockets!

[Arul Murugan]

Originally Posted by jayaraj100

Yes, you are right. This should be extended for season tick.... But, that requires access entry etc., mmmm.... I think as you said this meant only for non-regular commuter like me. This by design not meant for reducing the counter office load...

Originally Posted by wlbkng

I think if card purchase is done online, it will have more takers..

One can register and order for the smart card online. It will be delivered in two days.. (just for the start)

Then you can renew/top-up online.. And just print the tickets using the machine at station before your journey. Also season tickets shall be made available using smart card.

Mumbai suburban introduced this long back. SR is the worst among all zones in IR, such online facility will knock our door some where in 2020.

b/w season ticket are main culprit for loss making of suburban ticket system in India. The system needs to be made as costly as regular travel ticket fare, then only system can be made access control and better station.

12lakhs people are using the suburban/mrts system in Chennai daily... even if the average spending of per person is 20 rupees, it should spin 850 crores approx per year! Suburban system can be upgraded in single shot!

(Note: Chennai railway division total passenger revenue is approx 1100crores with major share from express trains.. suburban revenue is very less due to less seasonal ticket!!... how grossly the suburban potential is under utilized by IR management...)

but spineless IR ministry will never do that... and protestors will block trains as if the suburban system is used by jobless people and beggers only.

[Mukkesh]

Indian Railways will never learn anything.


Thank god, Mamta Banerjee moved back to Kolkatta , so there is hope

[dr_thapalathy]

Originally Posted by Arul Murugan

Mumbai suburban introduced this long back. SR is the worst among all zones in IR, such online facility will knock our door some where in 2020.

b/w season ticket are main culprit for loss making of suburban ticket system in India. The system needs to be made as costly as regular travel ticket fare, then only system can be made access control and better station.

12lakhs people are using the suburban/mrts system in Chennai daily... even if the average spending of per person is 20 rupees, it should spin 850 crores approx per year! Suburban system can be upgraded in single shot!

(Note: Chennai railway division total passenger revenue is approx 1100crores with major share from express trains.. suburban revenue is very less due to less seasonal ticket!!... how grossly the suburban potential is under utilized by IR management...)

but spineless IR ministry will never do that... and protestors will block trains as if the suburban system is used by jobless people and beggers only.

CAG has blamed IR for such low fares of trains in India and rejected future Central Government funding for IR, if it is still not increasing the fares. Also, Railways is under huge pressure to increase the fares and accumulating losses. Fares of passenger trains in India are the same for almost two decades.

[jayaraj100]

Members can correct me if I am wrong.

To the definition of MRTS, Calcutta Metro is first MRTS in the country and Chennai should be second. Therfore Delhi 3rd and Bangalore 4th in operational. Just that Chennai is named as MRTS (instead of Metro), does not mean that credit shouldnt be taken. Only thing that anyone argue is MRTS shares the 'ticketing' with rest of sub-urban operation in Chennai. But that is one lament execuse I feel. Complete track and infrastructure is independent (oen may still point stations like Fort, common foot over path etc... but does that matter?)????

[lexraja]

Originally Posted by Arul Murugan

Mumbai suburban introduced this long back. SR is the worst among all zones in IR, such online facility will knock our door some where in 2020.


12lakhs people are using the suburban/mrts system in Chennai daily... even if the average spending of per person is 20 rupees, it should spin 850 crores approx per year! Suburban system can be upgraded in single shot!

(Note: Chennai railway division total passenger revenue is approx 1100crores with major share from express trains.. suburban revenue is very less due to less seasonal ticket!!... how grossly the suburban potential is under utilized by IR management...)

I agree . Like Mumbai , Chennai has got an extensive suburban system running in 3 different directions , 4 including MRTS but there ends the similarity . The following are some of the positive things that we could look at from Mumbai

1) Dedicated Lines for both Slow and Fast locals making them reliable and on time
2) BEST Feeders to stations
3) Stations are well maintained
4)Mumbai Seasonal tickets are currently available online for purchase at the Indian Railyway site
5)In certain stations in Navi Mumbai they even have IT parks and office spaces right adjacent to the train complex making it much more easirer to commute.


We need the following


1)Dedicated lines all the way from Beach - Chengulpet so that we do not have to share the load with passenger trains
2) Better MTC services to stations
3) MRTS Stations are gossly underutilized and dilapidated .They need to be handed over to a private contractor for better maintenance.
4)I think the Smart card issue may be solved once CMRL comes in and introduces a unified ticketing scheme for all modes of travel .


Once STM becomes a hub the ridership and load on MRTS and suburban can increase so much that they could start choking with out proper management . I think they need to get their act together before these hubs are formed and Metro becomes operational.

[vijayvmail]

Source: Dinamalar, Chennai edition, dated 16-Nov-2011

Translation:

History of Royapuram Station:

• Trains arrived at Chennai in 1856. Royapuram was the first station in chennai
• After that, for 17 years, Royapuram was only station in Chennai
• In 1871, Central was constructed. After that, North bound trains started from Central, while south bound trains started from Royapuram.
• Soon, the cargos from Chennai harbour increased and as a result, egmore station was opened in 1907 for south Bound trains
• Soon, the cargo terminal services moved to Korukkupet. As a result, royapuram lost its significance
• In 2006, some sections of the station land were leased for private Fertilizer and Cement storage.
• Due to the protests that resulted, the government announced the setting up of engine maintenance facility in royapuram station lands, in 2007. An amount of Rs 15.5 Crores was alloted for that.
• Then mninster Velu, also announced that some North bound trains will be operated from Royapuram. but all these have remained in paper.

Request to make royapuram as third terminal

• Now, the 'TamilNadu rail Passengers Rights Protection Organization' has requested that Royapuram be converted to the third Terminal instead of the proposed Tambaram.
• Many northbound trains from Egmore, already go only via Royapuram. They can start from royapuram itself.
• Royapuram station has more than 72 acres of land available and can be made bigger than Central and egmore
• There is already links from royapuram to Egmore and Central

Reasons given By southern Railways against Royapuram:

• Royapuram station is between 2 flyovers
• It is near Harbour
• There are lot of branch Roads around the station
• There are lot of tall buildings like stanley hospital around the station
• right now, engine Maintenance shed is being built there
• For a rail terminal, a length of 1200 metres and adequate width is needed
• No place available for parking and maintenance of trains

The agitators have given responses for each of above points:

• Egmore station is also between two flyovers and the length between them is only 925 metres
• Harbour is not a hindrance. It 'll be beneficial for people going to harbour.
• The branch roads will only help passengers
• Tall buildings will affect only airports. Why train station?
• Why is an engine maintenance shed needed in center of city. The existing one in Arakonam can be expanded. Or the land at Cochraine basin can be used.
• Central with 12 platforms is only 950 metres long. Egmore with 9 platforms is only 750 metres long. But royapuram has space for 16 platforms and is 1015 metres long by 420 metres wide.
• There are lots of land available near Sathyamurthi nagar in Korukkupet for establishing train maintenance sheds.

[Arul Murugan]

The city is expanding in south and not in center. Egmore and Central both are situated in central Chennai. When other cities like Bengaluru/Hyderabad creating their new terminals in city border another terminal in central Chennai will only create more congestion on those steets of george town.

Tambaram should be developed at any cost. But at the same only new trains needs to be started from here and not terminating the operational south bound trains. Royapuram will only create more congestion in and around central, egmore and george town.

[lexraja]

Originally Posted by Arul Murugan

The city is expanding in south and not in center. Egmore and Central both are situated in central Chennai. When other cities like Bengaluru/Hyderabad creating their new terminals in city border another terminal in central Chennai will only create more congestion on those streets of George town.

Tambaram should be developed at any cost. But at the same only new trains needs to be started from here and not terminating the operational south bound trains. Royapuram will only create more congestion in and around central, egmore and george town.

Tambaram would definitely be a boon for South bound Trains and would serve to decongest Egmore . Now may be Royapuram could serve to play a similar role for North bound trains and EMU's and decongest Central . This might mean strengthening the link between Egmore ,Central and Royapuram

If you notice Mumbai has a similar set up for West Bound and South bound trains . West bound traffic is shared by 2 stations (Mumbai Central and Bandra). South bound traffic is shared by CST and Kurla .

[krishnancv]

Royapuram could be converted to a container transhipment station for concor considering it being just 200 m away from DP CCT. Would go a long way in reducing congestation at CCT. The current goods terminal at Periyampet behind JN stadium could be converted to as an extension for Central with Bengaluru Thirupathy jolarpet express starting from here.

[Leo_r]

Egmore should remain as the main entry point for trains from South. Otherwise Railways will start using it mainly for North bound trains.

This will be against the interests of locals settled in Chennai.

Incoming Trains from East,North East shall be terminated at Royapuram. Central shall be reserved for main trains from Delhi,Bombay,Bangalore,Coimbatore/Kerala.Hydrabad.

[kannan infratech]

Decongesting the City and providing connectivity to the terminals even if they are outside are the immediate needs.

Is Tambaram station ready to take the load of Egmore.? I doubt. They should not shift till the infra at Tambaram is improved.

Royapuram as a passenger terminal is not very advisable. Very apt for container Terminal.

They should develop Villivakkam for west bound trains, Tambaram for south bound trains, Central for North bound trains and Egmore can supplement for non regular trains, service yards, freight trains while idle and local suburban trains.

[Arul Murugan]

Further if Royapuram needs to be developed, the flyovers near the station needs to be demolished, loco shed needs to be shifted and storage yard needs to be removed.

Tambaram can act as terminal even for Bangalore/Mumbai/Coimbatore bound trains.

In 10years Chengalpattu-Vridhachalam section will be doubled,

* Apart from adding many trains to central, delta and sout TN, trains to western TN can be introduced via Vridhachalam, Attur

* Trains to Bangalore/Mumbai can start from Tambaram and travel via Chengalpattu (nearest hub for OMR/ECR hub), Walajabad, Kanchipuram (nearest station for upcoming residential areas around SRPD/Oragadam) to Arrakonam.

Tambaram terminal has lot of advantage for growing Southern part of Chennai.

Some useless media like Dinamalar has spread false information that existing trains like Vaigai, Pandian, Nellai is going to be terminated at Tambaram, this has sparked the protest from south TN. So they don't want to develop Tambaram terminal.... after Sethu, Koodankulam, this is the 3rd project mis-guided the people by media/organization people.

Yeshwanthpur, Kacheguda etc., are far from city and it is fueling the growth.. intha veena ponna railways tamilnaduku project tharathey athisaiyam, ithula sontha kasula sooniyam vechikarathula nammala minja aal illai intha ulagathula.

[Arul Murugan]

Originally Posted by lexraja

Tambaram would definitely be a boon for South bound Trains and would serve to decongest Egmore . Now may be Royapuram could serve to play a similar role for North bound trains and EMU's and decongest Central . This might mean strengthening the link between Egmore ,Central and Royapuram

If you notice Mumbai has a similar set up for West Bound and South bound trains . West bound traffic is shared by 2 stations (Mumbai Central and Bandra). South bound traffic is shared by CST and Kurla .

Everyone is confused that Tambaram is going to help only south bound traffic. No it is NOT!! Even SR's vision on developing Tambaram terminal is entirely different.

More than south, it is for Bangalore/Mumbai traffic or even North bound traffic to cateer the southern metropolis of Chennai.

In future this will push for Chengalpattu-Kanchipuram-Arrakonam doubling! Royapuram can only acts as museum station since it is claimed to be the first railway station of south India.

[N.kumar]

Arul

good one. thats the cgl byepass we discussed some time back. hope sr does it. Let them complete, electrification, that can serve for emus, while tbm ones take this via diesel to ajj where electric locos can be changed if needed.

Nut ivanga modala tbm develop pannatum. See he amount in balance and allocation over yrs. looks like 10 yr project. The amount though is pittance and can be done as one time allocation.

[ranga]

Originally Posted by Arul Murugan

Yeshwanthpur, Kacheguda etc., are far from city and it is fueling the growth.. intha veena ponna railways tamilnaduku project tharathey athisaiyam, ithula sontha kasula sooniyam vechikarathula nammala minja aal illai intha ulagathula.

Kacheguda station in Hyderabad is in the heart of Hyderabad like Egmore in Chennai.