Chennai | MRTS | சென்னை பறக்கும் இரயில்

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TechCity

Discussion Starter · May 12, 2008

Please post the updates,photos and maps of the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) project.
This is mainly useful for discussing about Phase II extension of the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) from Velachery to St.Thomas Mount.

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TechCity

Discussion Starter · #2 · May 12, 2008

MRTS Project History

Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_Rapid_Transit_System_(Chennai)
MRTS is an initialism for Mass Rapid Transit System usually referring to a particular system of suburban rail network in Chennai with tracks running on a raised platform.

Chennai, India's fourth-largest urban agglomeration, has a well-established Suburban Railway Network, which dates back to 1931, when services began on the metre-gauge line from Beach to Tambaram. Two more suburban services were begun in 1985 — Chennai Central to Arakkonam and Chennai Central to Gummidipoondi, both of which were broad-gauge services. See List of Chennai MRTS stations for a list of MRTS stations in Chennai.

Phase I
Total Length - 8.55
Elevated Length - 5.80
Route - Chennai Beach - Thirumayilai
Stations - 8
Sanction - 1984
Opening - 1997
Phase I
Total Length - 11.16
Elevated Length - 7.84
Route - Thirumayilai - Velachery
Stations - 9
Sanction - 1998
Opening - 2007 source
Phase II Extenstion
Total Length - 5
Elevated Length - 5
Route - Velachery - St. Thomas Mount
Stations - 3
Sanction - 2007
Opening - Expected 2010 source
The phase III of the MRTS, connecting St Thomas Mount to Villivakkam and Anna Nagar, has been scrapped because it would have overlapped with the state government’s Metro Rail project

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TechCity

Discussion Starter · #3 · May 12, 2008

Chennai Railyway Map - MRTS,Suburban and Metro

Crossposting from Chennai Metro Project

vmukund said:

Reactions: 1

TechCity

Discussion Starter · #4 · May 13, 2008

OldNews:More avenues lie ahead for MRTS to explore

Feb 2 2008, Source:http://www.hindu.com/2008/02/06/stories/2008020654540200.htm

The MRTS is a fast, cheap and environment-friendly mode of transport. It was also expected to draw patronage from a large number of professionals working on the IT corridor. What is it, then, that has prevented it from living up to expectations? And what is being done?

Packaging may be one issue. K. Sami Raj, who commutes from Velachery to Gummidipoondi, said that the MRTS should also allocate first-class coaches and also think of introducing air-conditioned coaches.

The MRTS facility is also yet to tap the IT sector. At present only those working in Tidel Park are patronising the services. V. Mythili, an IT professional from Mylapore, said that though she had tried out the MRTS, she did not think of it as a real option for travel. “The MRTS stations are not easily accessible. You have to walk quite a distance just to reach one,” she said. Mythili says that her uncle takes his bike, parks it at the station, and then takes train, “Most of us, though, don’t have that kind of patience, it’s just easier to catch a bus or an auto,” she said. Another IT professional, Archit V.S. said that IT professionals had erratic working hours and there were no trains available late in the night.

The administration has been working on improving passenger amenities. Contracts had been issued for two-wheeler parking in six stations in addition to Velachery where parking facilities are available. Pay-and-use toilet are to be open in Velachery, Thiruvanmiyur, Tirumailai and Chepauk. The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation is also planning to open food plazas in Velachery and Tirumailai. Once these plazas are opened, officials hoped the clientele would improve.

Referring to the dismal look at the stations, Chennai Railway Divisional Manager Man Singh said one of the reasons for the unhygienic conditions was the entry of unauthorised people into the stations. Some of the entries into the stations will now be closed to prevent this.

In the meantime, instructions have also been given to station officials to employ private conservancy workers for cleaning.

Dedicated pathways for commuters linking roads with all railway stations is another major demand. For commuters using the Velachery Railway Station, the footpath along the Velachery Main Road has been occupied by hawkers, a fish market and vehicle parking. Likewise, commuters using the MRTS and taking a link service from the Central Suburban Station, face hardship due to the lack of dedicated pathways. The commuters moving between MRTS Park Town Railway Station and Central Railway Station have to trek a long walk through the subway or the congested Poonamallee High Road.

The lack of roads on both sides of the MRTS (between Beach and Velachery) is one drawback that has been promised to be overcome in the next phase extension to St. Thomas Mount . The State Highways Department has put in place a proposal to this effect. This is, indeed, a welcome move as the lack of roads is what is hampering the introduction of MTC buses.

A senior CMDA official said the alignment for the next phase of the MRTS — extension to St. Thomas Mount — was being firmed up. Work is slated to begin next year.

A senior official said the daily revenue from the MRTS was 2.31 lakh after the services were extended to Velachery as against the previous collection of Rs.84,000. Similarly, the total number of passengers had increased from 7,000 to 21,000 and the season tickets from 220 to 750. Apart from passengers’ revenue, the administration was getting Rs 2 crore a year through advertisements in MRTS stations and coaches. It remains to be seen whether further extension will improve the revenue and popularity of the service. For the moment, it looks like there is an acute need for proper marketing of existing facilities.

TechCity

Discussion Starter · #5 · May 13, 2008

Intersting blog entries about MRTS

Intersting blog entries about MRTS

After witnessing the Naval Exercise at Marina this evening, to take the train to Velachery I proceeded to the Light House Railway Station. The Railway Station looked like Chennai Central or Egmore. People were standing in long queue to get the tickets.....readmore

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Extension of MRTS services from Thiruvanmiyur upto Velachery atlast appears to be a reality with the preliminary inspection of the tracks completed by the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) on July 5, 2007. The CRS has advised to make certain changes to the two elevated lines between Thiruvanmiyur and Velachery. These are expected to be completed in another 10 days time.....readmore

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have a car which I don’t take to the office because of difficulty in getting a parking slot at II Line Beach, parking fee of Rs 20/- for full day and unduly long time taken due to heavy traffic....readmore

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While participating in the Platinum Jubilee Celebrations of the Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) Car Shed at Tambaram in December 2006, Minister of State for Railways R. Velu said the MRTS services till Velachery were to be extended by the year-end, but the heavy rain delayed the work in a small part of the track, though installation of the girders was complete and it was expected to be completed by March-end.....readmore

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Arul Murugan

· #6 · May 16, 2008

Detailing the project, he says the IRR arm from Velachery Main Road will have two 30-feet (four lane) roads below the flyover, near the MRTS station. Two bridges, with an elevated track for MRTS between them, are to be constructed over the Adambakkam lake.

The MRTS elevated network will be above the bridge. Metropolitan Transport Project, which is executing the MRTS work, has started pile foundation work for the elevated tracks. A railway official says two railway stations - Puzhuthivakkam and Adambakkam – will come up between Velachery and St. Thomas Mount.

From The hindu

Is the MRTS going to be in the IRR median??

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Fusionist

· #7 · May 17, 2008

how good is the connectivity to St THomas Mt station from GST ? It need to have better connectivity especially when it is going to be an interchange.

TechCity

Discussion Starter · #8 · May 30, 2008

Arakkonam Suburban train commuters still feel services are yet to be fully on track

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2008/05/30/stories/2008053060050400.htm

CHENNAI: It is 6:30 in the evening. Platform No. 13 at the Moore Market complex, Chennai Central, is packed with passengers. They crane their necks out every minute to see if a train is coming.

Ten minutes later, an EMU train to Arakkonam pulls into the platform. Within minutes, the train gets choked with people. For passengers along the Chennai-Arakkonam railway section, this experience is an everyday affair. Passengers complained that EMU trains in this section often run late, do not halt at important stations, are irregular and congested. Despite this, they use the services as the bus services are not dependable.

S. Shanti, a resident of Avadi, says the EMU train gets held up at the Basin Bridge junction for almost half an hour and she reaches home late daily. The junction is a major traffic bottleneck.

L. Subhashini, another passenger, says there are several trains that go without stopping at Perambur Loco Works. So she has to wait for the particular train which would stop at the station.

Absence of platforms for fast local trains at important stations such as Avadi and Pattabiram results in five pairs of services on the Chennai-Tiruttani, Chennai-Thiruvallur and Chennai-Arakkonam skip the stations.

Consumer rights activist and resident of Pattabiram T. Sadagopan said he had sought information under the RTI Act from Southern Railway on why train services on the section do not match the Chennai Beach-Tambaram EMU train services.

In 2004, a fourth track was laid between Pattabiram and Tiruvallur, but local trains to Avadi are yet to be extended till Tiruvallur, he added.

He says residents of Tiruvallur and nearby areas travelling by train to Bangalore or Mumbai must come to the Central Station. Providing a terminal at Tiruvallur for mail express trains could considerably reduce passenger load in suburban trains, he said.

Sriperumbudur Member of Parliament and resident of Pattabiram A. Krishna Swamy highlighted these issues in a letter to Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad in March 2007. Tiruvallur, a district headquarters, suburban terminal and industrial centre, and Avadi, a defence base, have been neglected, he said.

Adding to the woes of the commuters is the delay in the suburban services as a result of mail express trains cutting across the railway lines in this section.

An instance of this: between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. an express train to Tirupati is run on the suburban railway line, because of which rush-hour suburban trains get held up. Another important reason why trains get delayed is that Avadi and Ambattur have loop lines on which drivers have to slow down the speed before entering the stations.

Railway authorities say they are aware of the problem as they are receiving regular complaints from passengers in this section. They admit that unless the tracks meant for suburban trains are “dedicated” many of the issues cannot be resolved. They added that with the limited resources available, it was not possible to satisfy all commuters.

- What is that loop lines?
- Arakkonam Suburban train doesnt have dedicated line?

In 2004 a fourth track was laid between Pattabiram and Tiruvallur

If four tracks are there,Then what is issue of allocating dedicated line to suburban?

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PlaneMad

· #9 · May 30, 2008

^^ ha, theyve flicked the graphic from my map http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Chennai_suburban_rail_map.svg

There are 4 lines upto tiruvallur, and two lines upto arrakonam, the third line is getting done, and land has been acquired for the fourth.

Loop lines are those that branch off from the main line at stations, this is against smalller stations where the platforms are directly on the main line

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Arul Murugan

· #10 · Jun 7, 2008

MRTS extension proposal by TIDCO

MRTS extension

The detailed TIDCO report has envisaged extension of the existing Mass Rapid Transport System (MRTS) railway line from Tiruvanmiyur to Mamallapuram, along Rajiv Gandhi Salai on the Buckingham canal route for about 50 km. A new railway line has also been proposed from Anna Nagar to Kancheepuram, passing through Poonamallee and Sriperumbudur for about 75 km. The cost of the above two rail links is estimated at Rs.1,250 crore.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/06/07/stories/2008060759590400.htm

Arul Murugan

· #11 · Jun 7, 2008

^^

125KM MRTS costs only 1250 crore INR?!?

saurabh85

· #12 · Jun 7, 2008

^^Wow!! The line along the buckingham canal would be so good!It will give the IT corridor some much needed breathing space.Regarding the cost i think it should be low considering the land acquisition costs would be minimum as the canal land belongs to the govt anyway. Hope they take this proposal ahead and quickly.

vinothvasagar

· #13 · Jun 9, 2008

Arul Murugan said:
^^

125KM MRTS costs only 1250 crore INR?!?

While there is absolutely no need for an elevated track to Kancheepuram, and track elevation "could" be avoided by using the Canal banks on IT corridor the cost will be much lesser making 125 KM with 1250 crore reasonable.. And this project is the need of hour considering the activies happening in Sriperumbudur/ Oragadam region.. Hats off to TN govt/ Railways....

nsantha2

· #14 · Jun 9, 2008

vinothvasagar said:
While there is absolutely no need for an elevated track to Kancheepuram, and track elevation "could" be avoided by using the Canal banks on IT corridor the cost will be much lesser making 125 KM with 1250 crore reasonable.. And this project is the need of hour considering the activies happening in Sriperumbudur/ Oragadam region.. Hats off to TN govt/ Railways....

How do you propose to get land on the banks of the canal, when most of the area is occupied by either u-c or completed IT parks and office buildings?

Madras_Fan

· #15 · Jun 9, 2008

nsantha2 said:
How do you propose to get land on the banks of the canal, when most of the area is occupied by either u-c or completed IT parks and office buildings?

There is really space indeed along the buckingham canal till pandian nagar bridge which connects the 2 sides of the buckhingham canal.(OMR and ECR)

Its technically possible. But Its fully encroached. The line needs to be elevated till SRP tools junction and on the west bank of the buckhingham canal there is enough space for next 5 kms to lay tracks along the west bank(On clearing encroachments). But the tracks should again go elevated to align with OMR (as buckhingham canal will be at Centre between OMR and ECR for couple of Kms deviates more towards ECR after that before touching ECR near muttukkadu back waters). After getting elevated near Jain's college, it can follow elevated route for some more distance till sholinganallur touching Okkiyam thoraippakkam, Kannagi nagar, karappakkam and sholinganallur(2 stops). After that its again technically possible to have the tracks on ground but it will be .5 kms from the OMR all the way till Mahabs

Rasnaboy

· #16 · Jun 10, 2008

MRTS (and any metro) is meant for intracity transportation and generally takes a circular form (if I'm not wrong). If they extend the MRTS to Mahabalipuram (and further, perhaps, in the future), will that be a metro anymore? What's the purpose then? Am a bit confused over this. :nuts: Anybody please clarify.

PlaneMad

· #17 · Jun 10, 2008

^^ not such an issue. since it isnt really possible to connect it to the existing line. from a discussion i had with the materials manager at thiruvanmiyur station, i beleive that they arent completing this station because they plan to begin the ecr by construction a new level above the present platform (this seems even more unfeasible though). So the ecr line will be a standalon line and will require a changeover at tvmr, that is if it gets approved at all.

vmukund

· #18 · Jun 10, 2008

Metro or MRTS doesnt mean circular line. If the city limits extend to Mahabalipuram...or the greater city limit for that fact, it will still be called MRTS or Metro later. In fact all metro stations merge onto some area and need not be circular.

vinothvasagar

· #19 · Jun 10, 2008

Rasnaboy said:
MRTS (and any metro) is meant for intracity transportation and generally takes a circular form (if I'm not wrong). If they extend the MRTS to Mahabalipuram (and further, perhaps, in the future), will that be a metro anymore? What's the purpose then? Am a bit confused over this. :nuts: Anybody please clarify.

London, which has one of the biggest and oldest Metros in the world, has only one circular line out of the total 12 lines. And London is a city which has more or less grown in all directions equally, unlike Chennai where the growth is either stretched along OMR/ GST or NH4 towards BLR making the circular form not feasible.

Arul Murugan

· #20 · Jun 11, 2008

PlaneMad said:
^^ not such an issue. since it isnt really possible to connect it to the existing line. from a discussion i had with the materials manager at thiruvanmiyur station, i beleive that they arent completing this station because they plan to begin the ecr by construction a new level above the present platform (this seems even more unfeasible though). So the ecr line will be a standalon line and will require a changeover at tvmr, that is if it gets approved at all.

When it is possible to have loop lines towards ECR from the present main line from Beach, why they are planning to make Thiruvanmiyur as a transit station.

But even that looks to be a good idea! The frequency towards St.Thomas mount from beach and to ECR/OMR from Thiruvanmiyur can be maintained separately.

Good to see more news comings about MRTS to Mahabalipuram.

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Then what about Chennai-Cuddalore new line alignment?

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