Introduction
Suburban railways are a vital part of any cityscape. They span over the ground and under it linking vital parts and reducing travelling times from multiple hours to mere minutes.
There is evidence to suggest that such a system has been successful we can clearly see examples in Singapore, America as well as many of the major European countries. The rail networks are massive very well connected and span over countries linking major cites and towns.
The Chennai MRTS is a part of the new “face” of Chennai city. Conceived as a part of the future of rapid public transport it was built under the belief that it would help ease congestion off the city’s chocking and clogged roads.
History and humble beginning
The project was taken up in the mid 1980’s to allow suburban rail connectivity to central and southern Chennai which until that time had only road networks. Wrapped in a trail of red tape the project was planned inn 1985 with construction starting in 1991.
Apart from the normal project setbacks and delays, the final stretch between Thiruvanmiyur and Velacherry suffered from poor soil conditions requiring a lot change in design adding to the budget and causing further delays.
The first phase of the metro line was completed in the year 1995. Operated by the southern railways the first phase saw the linking between the beach stations to the Thirumailai in Myalpore.
The second phase was conceived and completed in a period of ten years and linked the southern part of the city. This line extended from Myalpore to the Velacherry. The park town railway station is directly opposite the central station. This ensures maximum connectivity for passengers travelling in all directions.
The line
“The section of the line encompassing the first three Stations—Beach, Fort and Park Town, is at grade; after Park Town it begins climbing. All the Stations after Park Town—Chintadripet, Chepauk, Tiruvallikeni, Lighthouse and Thirumailai are elevated. The Line from Park Town to Thirumailai follows the course of the Buckingham Canal, which runs parallel to the Coromandel Coast”. The total length of entire MRTS envisaged was 59.38 km, a circular route from Chennai Beach to Ennore/Tiruvottiyur (industrial zones north of Chennai)
Planning and operation
The general system by which the MRTS was planned in term of operation is very efficient and easy to use. There are around 20 stations covering the length of the area.
The stations are large and broad in most probability modeled along the Europe metros (which cater to much larger audiences and more number of commuters on daily basis) a general view of any station reveals that there are allotted spaces for parking and shops.
Tickets
The tickets prices range from five to ten rupees as per the destination. Seasonal passes ranging from one month to a year also exist. There is a ticket counter at every station. At the Thirumailai station there is Indian railways counter where reservations and cancellations can be made for national and state traversing trains.
Powering the trains
The trains run on electric power and are very eco friendly. Each trains runs around six to eight cars ferrying around 200-400 passengers per journey at the present time there is no facility for the vehicle to turn around they are run with two main units faced in opposite directions. Two road under-bridges, one road over-bridge (six lane) and four minor bridges, for water flow, are to be constructed in the surface portion of the alignment. Provision has also been made for an EMU maintenance depot at Velacherry.
Ladies train and police patrolling
The service runs a ladies special train thrice a day. These special trains have security personnel to ensure that only ladies board the train and that there are no unwanted incidents. There is regular patrolling on all stations to ensure that there anti social elements are not allowed to board the trains and cause a nuisance.
Total completion of project and current realties
As per the plans and work carried out by the authorities the stations by 2008 should have been one of a world class standard providing high quality service to the commuters and public alike, but the reality that awaits us when we visit the stations and facilities is hard hitting an saddening.
Lack of commuters
Citing the lack of patronage as one the biggest and almost only factor for a host of issues and plaguing problems the Southern railways have released information regarding the patronage and usage rate for the year 2008-2009 the most used the station is Velacherry which stands at 14,731 people and the least used is the Indira Nagar station which stands at a low 2359 people a day.
Incomplete construction
Most of the stations are huge and majestic in size but are almost deserted all the time. The facilities barley exists most of the public toilets are locked or in a damaged condition. Very surprisingly the escalators and lifts in the station are fully functional and in complete running order unfortunately this is the most that seems to be working order.
The roof and walls of the Indira Nagar station are still incomplete three years after the opening. The plaster on the walls is crumbling and faded. The entries to the Beach and Chepauk station are always covered in garbage or filth and have their entry paths over open drains.
Parking for the Daily commuter
As is common with the metros all over the world many people who use the MRTS on a daily basis work in the heart of the city and live on the outskirts or in heavy suburban areas which are at least 15 to 20 kilometers from their area of work. They bring their vehicles and leave them at the station and commute back and forth. Such a facility only exists at the Myalpore station it runs on a full fledged basis complete with parking tickets and monthly tokens.
Most of the other stations have either a space at the back or nothing at all. These spaces have no form of security or barriers of any kind further these parking lots are far away from any of the other public facilities like bus stops and auto stands. One rather odd but seemingly significant reason is that at the stations, apart from the Myalpore, only train tickets can be purchased. Allowing multiple counters to exist together can speed up transportation and allow for more number of people to visit the stations.
Many of the lines run along the inner roads and along the Buckingham canal which are not main roads as such, thus creating a situation where stations are located at odd places or off the main roads. Because a lot of the land was cleared up many of the people who were relocated or evicted from the land have returned and began to live in what can be described as slum level dwellings with little or no facilities. These slum dwellers and their hutments are a sore sight on what is actually a nice train ride.
Ticket collection and the ticket collector
The ticket collectors appear on a random basis. Visiting the blog of a regular commuter he recalls his observations he made while travelling on the trains
Ticket collectors boarded the train at Myalpore station
Ticket collector was seen not wearing uniform and not even the badge. (I have seen one friendly ticket collector at Velacherry Railway station in white uniform with the badge containing the name.)
Harsh language towards commuters looks at everyone as a suspect. Truly, this ticket collector behaved like a super cop.
Overall picture
Taking a quote of divisional railway manager, Southern Railway, S.K.Kulshrestha from an article in the Hindu newspaper “he said existing infrastructure was being poorly utilised. “The infrastructure in place can take more trains and passengers but there is adequate utilisation only during rush hour. Less than 50 per cent of the seats are filled during other hours.”
He further stated that after investing two-thirds of the project cost into MRTS, it was up to the State government to direct the Chennai Corporation and local authorities to provide better approach roads.
“Feeder services are also essential and it is unfortunate that the Metropolitan Transport Corporation withdrew its services from the Chintadripet station because of poor usage within a short duration. The programme has to be sustained for a period and has to be better publicised so that the public would start using them,” he said.
Conclusion
To conclude we quote an avid chennaite and daily commuter on the MRTS from his blog “The next phase of the MRTS linking Velachery to St. Thomas Mount on the city’s main suburban Beach - Tambaram line, will be even more important as it provides an important interchange with the suburban rail network.
While there are talks about Phase IV and V for MRTS, what with a Metro Rail in the pipeline, one can only hope that at least Phase III is completed in time as planned. A more pressing requirement is for better looking and cleaner coaches for MRTS trains even if they cannot provide Delhi / Kolkata metro style coaches.
The current trains are an abomination to say the least. The next phase of the MRTS linking Velachery to St. Thomas Mount on the city’s main suburban Beach - Tambaram line, will be even more important as it provides an important interchange with the suburban rail network.
While there are talks about Phase IV and V for MRTS, what with a Metro Rail in the pipeline, one can only hope that at least Phase III is completed in time as planned. In a strange connection maybe the arrival of the Tata Nano will herald the age of the MRTS.
Sources
http://www.sln.in/Chennaispot/
http://citychennai.wordpress.
http://www.thehindu.com/2009/
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/
http://citychennai.wordpress.
http://www.hindu.com/2004/03/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
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