CHENNAI (Metro Rail News): The long-awaited proposal to integrate Chennai MRTS with the Chennai Metro has moved closer to implementation following a crucial meeting on 15 December between senior officials of the Tamil Nadu government and Southern Railway. After the discussions, both sides agreed to proceed towards finalising a memorandum of understanding (MoU), which is expected to be completed as early as next week.
The proposal intends to facilitate the transfer of the MRTS assets, along with its operations and maintenance responsibilities, from Southern Railway to Chennai Metro Rail Limited and the Tamil Nadu government. The meeting was held after the Railway Board gave in-principle approval in July to hand over the elevated suburban rail corridor to the state.
The draft MoU is almost ready, with only a few minor changes yet to be made. Officials said there is a clear intent on both sides to complete the process at the earliest. The document is about 10 pages long and will be finalised by the Railways.
After this, the draft will be reviewed by the state government, including the finance department and concerned committees. Once all departments agree on the terms, the document will be sent back to the Railways for completion, after which the MoU will be signed.
This takeover will be carried out in a phased manner over the next 2 years, which will enable the responsible authorities to ensure uninterrupted operations. In the initial phase, Chennai Metro Rail Limited plans to introduce 25 air-conditioned broad-gauge train sets for MRTS operations.
As part of the transition arrangement, Southern Railway will continue to run MRTS services for a temporary period while the groundwork for transferring assets and upgrading the system is carried out. At the same time, the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA), which is leading the integration process, is preparing detailed project reports for each of the 18 existing stations. These plans focus on upgrading station facilities and improving public spaces within a 100-metre area around the stations.
In addition to this, work is also underway on improving the signalling system and reworking interchange points with existing metro lines. The objective is to align train operations more efficiently and, in the longer term, move towards a single, integrated ticketing system for passengers across the network.
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