Suburban rail commuters travelling between the city’s northern and southern corridors have urged Southern Railway to increase the frequency of Mass Rapid Transit system (MRTS) trains during peak hours, from the present 20 minutes to 10 minutes.

Passengers travelling from Arakkonam, Tiruvallur, Avadi and other western suburbs to destinations along the MRTS corridor said the reduced frequency has made daily commuting difficult, especially for office-goers who depend on connecting suburban and MRTS services.

Long wait and platform rush

P.K. Narayanan, a commuter from Korattur travelling to Mount Road, said MRTS services earlier operated at 10-minute intervals during peak hours. “The most affected were the commuters who travel from areas such as Arakkonam, Tiruvallur, Avadi, Korattur, and Villivakkam,” he said.

Commuters said changing platforms at Chennai Beach station had become stressful due to the 20-minute gap between trains. “Most often, the Arakkonam-Beach trains halt at platform 4 or 5 at Beach. For the onward journey towards the south, say to Chepauk and Adyar, one needs to catch the MRTS train at platform 8. For people aged 50+ like me, changing platforms is exhausting,” said Rajan Boopathy from Villivakkam. Often, he says, he missed the train and had to wait for another 20 minutes.

Southern commuters face issues

Passengers from the southern suburbs also complained of long waiting times and poor last-mile connectivity around MRTS stations. “Sometimes, when I miss the MRTS train at Velachery, instead of waiting for 20 minutes, I take my vehicle back to OTA-Nanganallur Road Metro to reach the office on time,” said S.K. Subramanya from Madipakkam.

Railway cites operational constraints

Railway officials said operational limitations linked to redevelopment works at Chennai Egmore station were affecting MRTS services.

The issue intensified after MRTS services between Chennai Beach and Velachery were temporarily curtailed in August 2023 to facilitate the construction of a fourth railway line between Egmore and Chennai Beach. Though services resumed fully in October 2024, commuters said delays and bottlenecks continue. –

According to railway sources, pending land transfer issues near Chennai Fort and track-sharing arrangements have also affected train movement speeds between Fort and Beach stations.

While Southern Railway has upgraded several suburban services in the northern and western sections from nine-car to 12-car EMUs, many elevated MRTS stations can still accommodate only nine-car trains, limiting operational flexibility.

A senior Southern Railway official said the present arrangements were temporary and linked to the ongoing ₹842-crore Chennai Egmore redevelopment project.

“As part of the redevelopment process, operational constraints arising out of regulation of Express train services between Chennai Egmore, Tambaram and Chennai Beach have necessitated temporary adjustments in train operations,” the official said.

The official added that increasing MRTS frequency was not feasible at present, but operational flexibility and infrastructure capacity were expected to improve after completion of the development works.