The Hindu : MRTS services extended to Tiruvanmiyur

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 27, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

MRTS services extended to Tiruvanmiyur

By K. Lakshmi

CHENNAI, JAN. 26. The Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) train services, which were extended to Tiruvanmiyur from today, were well-received by commuters.

About 1,900 tickets were sold between 6.30 a.m. and 2.30 p.m., in the six new railway stations between Tirumayilai and Tiruvanmiyur. A sum of about Rs. 5,300 was collected at the Tiruvanmiyur station and a 30 per cent increase in revenue was expected in the evening, a senior railway official said.

Such was the patronage that about 150 tickets were sold for the first Beach-bound train from Tiruvanmiyur that left at 7.15 a.m. In the afternoon (about 1 p.m.), commuters were seen queuing up at the booking counter at Tiruvanmiyur 30 minutes ahead of the scheduled departure of the train.

Being the first day on the extended stretch, most commuters, including children, took the train as a joyride. Today being a public holiday the crowd was more at the stations.

The distance of 15 km between Beach and Tiruvanmiyur was covered in 30 minutes, with a two-minute halt at Tirumayilai.

A railway employee at the Greenways Road station said there was significant increase in passenger occupancy beyond Tirumayilai station towards Tiruvanmiyur. A total fare of Rs. 1,400 was collected in eight hours of the introduction of the service, he said.

M. Harish who works in the TIDEL Park said, "the train service will benefit all those working in and around Adyar and Tiruvanmiyur as there are not enough bus services connecting different areas of the city."

Boarding the MRTS train not only "saves time but is also pocket-friendly as a single trip on the entire stretch will cost only Rs. 7 (Beach-Tiruvanmiyur)," he added.

However, a major complaint against the MRTS is that the frequency is one service an hour. There are no services after 7 p.m. from Beach and 7.35 p.m. from Tiruvanmiyur.

P. Meena, working in a private firm on the Greenways Road said, "I work until late evening hours and the extension of the train services would be of great help to me as I reside at Parrys."

Many of the commuters who welcomed the train service, which covered important areas such as Kotturpuram and Indira Nagar, complained that they had to walk long distances from the railway stations to reach the nearest bus stand. Rohini, a resident of Tiruvanmiyur said, "It is a 15-minute walk from the station to the Tiruvanmiyur bus terminus."

Passengers of other new stations also confronted the same problem. Malini Kannan, a resident of Raja Annamalaipuram said: "The nearest bus stand from the Greenways Road station is about two km away."

A railway official said the trains would be operated only during weekdays between Tirumayilai and Tiruvanmiyur due to the ongoing works for passenger amenities.

With work on the second line covering the six-km distance of the new stations still going on, the trains would be operated on a single line, which eventually resulted in decrease of frequency of services. The number of trips would be increased in the evening depending on patronage, he said.

The issue of distance from stations to bus stands would be considered, he added. The Southern Railway also plans to extend the service to Velachery in a few months.

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