PMO instructs railway board to speed up Chennai Metro-MRTS merger

CHENNAI: In a much-awaited move, the Prime Minister’s Office has instructed the railway board to expedite the Chennai Metro-MRTS merger project.

According to a report in The Hindu, Chief Minister MK Stalin met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a NITI Aayog session and submitted a memorandum which included the request to transfer Chennai’s MRTS to Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL).

According to reports, the railway board has been instructed to fast-track the project after the meeting. Following this, the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA) said the board had raised three queries with Southern Railways and is awaiting the approval.

In response to this, the railway officials said that the have addressed all the queries from the board till now. It may be noted that the MRTS takeover by CMRL has been in the plans for nearly 10 years, but was put off due to delays.

Also, CUMTA, which has been incharge of the project has submitted proposal to the railway board in 2024 but is still awaiting a response. As per the proposal, the MRTS incurs a heavy annual operating cost of Rs 104 crores but has a meager revenue of only around Rs 50 crore.

Commuters also expressed frustration over the prolonged delays in the project, with many highlighting the ease and comfort of traveling in the Chennai Metro Rail compared to the MRTS. They noted that MRTS stations lack a decent ambiance and cleanliness of the Metro. Pointing out that the ample space in these stations remain underutilized, commuters hope that the project will gain momentum soon.