MRTS extension to St Thomas Mount set for year-end opening as Southern Railway begins safety preparations

CHENNAI: With the completion of civil works and load tests on the 5-km MRTS extension from Velachery to St Thomas Mount, Southern Railway has begun preparatory activities ahead of the safety trial to be carried out by the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS). These preparations are being undertaken for the inspection by the Electrical Inspector General (EIG) of Southern Railway. According to official sources, Ganesh, principal chief electrical engineer (PCEE) of the zone, is functioning as the de facto EIG and will inspect the track electrification before the CRS begins its assessment. A high-speed AC trial run will be conducted on the new line. Once the EIG grants clearance, the CRS inspection will follow. The line is expected to be opened by the end of December or the first week of January, an official said. Once operational clearance is obtained, all 43 existing services between Chennai Beach and Velachery and the return services will be extended to St Thomas Mount. All trains will originate from St Thomas Mount, ensuring direct connectivity to the Chennai Metro Rail (CMRL) services on the first floor and Chennai Beach-Chengalpattu suburban services on the ground floor, the official added. During non-peak hours, a few services may still terminate at Velachery for maintenance. There will be no significant changes in the timetable, the official noted. Currently, MRTS services begin at 5 am from Chennai Beach and Velachery, with the last service on either direction starting at 10.20 pm. The stretch includes Puzhuthivakkam, Adambakkam, and St Thomas Mount stations. The first and last services may be advanced and postponed by 10-15 minutes respectively once the section is extended upto St Thomas Mount. A revised timetable will be released after operational clearance, added the official. CMRLs upcoming 47-km Corridor V, running from Madhavaram Milk Colony to Sholinganallur, passes through both St Thomas Mount and Adambakkam MRTS stations. On November 7, CSIR-SERC carried out instrumentation and load testing on the elevated corridor spans. This will be followed by a trolley inspection and oscillation trials, after which a high-speed trial run will be conducted before the track is declared fit for service. Power supply works for the newly laid track are in progress and nearing completion, an official said. The final 500m of the extension, between Adambakkam and St Thomas Mount, faced 17 years of delay due to land acquisition issues. Quick rundown 5-km extension of MRTS from Velachery to St Thomas Mount has been delayed for 17 years The section includes Puzhuthivakkam, Adambakkam and St Thomas Mount stations CMRLs upcoming 47-km Corridor V (Madhavaram Milk Colony to Sholinganallur), passes through both St Thomas Mount and Adambakkam MRTS stations Principal chief electrical engineer of SR will inspect the track electrification Inspection by the commissioner of railway safety planned for second week of December All existing 86 services are planned to be extended upto St Thomas Mount from January onwards Currently, first service starts at 5 am and last at 10.20 pm in either direction