Chennai, May 2:
In a major step towards integrating the city’s rail network, Southern Railway has forwarded the draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to the Railway Board for final approval to transfer the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) to Chennai Metro Rail Limited.
The move follows earlier approval by the Ministry of Railways for merging MRTS with CMRL to enable seamless urban mobility. Once cleared, the Tamil Nadu government will sign the MoU with Southern Railway to formally begin the takeover, aimed at improving connectivity across metro, suburban rail and bus networks in Chennai.
As per the proposal, MRTS infrastructure, operations and maintenance will be transferred to the State government, while certain railway assets will be leased. A two-year transition period has been planned during which Southern Railway will support operations and train CMRL staff.
The MRTS, operational since 1997 from Chennai Beach to Velachery and under extension to St. Thomas Mount, currently serves around one lakh passengers daily. The merger is expected to create a unified, efficient and sustainable urban transport system for the city.