Pending issues in land transfer near Chennai Fort and track-sharing arrangements have also led to slow movement of trains between Fort and Beach stations.
| Photo Credit: R. Ragu
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 rushP.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 issuesPassengers 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.
