Railway Board approves merger of Chennai MRTS with Metro Rail after 15-year wait
The Union Ministry of Railways has approved the merger of the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) with Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), ending a wait of 15 years. The approval was conveyed through a circular issued by the Railway Board in New Delhi on August 12, 2026. The circular was addressed to the General Manager of Southern Railway.
The draft memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the merger was signed between Southern Railway and the Tamil Nadu government in May 2026. It broadly outlines the handover of assets, as well as the operation and maintenance of MRTS suburban train services.
MRTS is a suburban rail network operated by Southern Railway, while CMRL is the agency that runs the Chennai Metro. The merger is intended to integrate the two rail-based systems, which currently operate separately. Bringing the suburban network under a single operator is expected to improve coordination and service planning.
The construction of the MRTS project was initiated under the First Master Plan of 1975. Services run from Beach to Velachery and were later extended to St. Thomas Mount railway station, which was commissioned in March 2026. The extended section includes two stations – Puzhithivakkam and Adambakkam – with one more station yet to be made operational.
The merger proposal was first sent by the State government to the Chairman of the Railway Board on January 27, 2011. After several meetings, the Railway Board has now given its approval.
As per the draft MoU, Southern Railway will hand over assets and general operation and maintenance duties within 90 days, excluding the core train operations and maintenance part. During a two-year transition period, the entire train operations will be handed over to CMRL.
In this transition period, the Tamil Nadu government is required to pay the agreed amount either in full or in parts. The transfer includes land, infrastructure covering 19 of the 21 railway stations, lifts, escalators, foot over bridges, tracks, signalling and telecom systems, and the rolling stock of electrical multiple units (EMUs).
The MRTS shares interface with railway stations at Beach and Fort in the Chennai division. It has been proposed to allocate platforms 9 and 10 at Beach for MRTS services. At Fort station, the State government will construct a crossing station to provide track crossovers. Between Fort and Beach, there is currently only one track instead of the usual two. If the State government plans to create a dual track, Southern Railway will consider it based on operational flexibility and the land management policy of the Ministry of Railways.
The Railway Board has formed a special committee with senior officers from Southern Railway and the State government. The convenor of the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA) will act as the coordinating officer.
Consumer activist T. Sadagopan welcomed the merger, saying it would improve the operational efficiency of the train services. However, he pointed out that it would put a full stop to the demand for direct services from St. Thomas Mount railway station to Arakkonam and Gummiddipoondi. In the past, direct services were operated from Velachery to Arakkonam on the west section and to Gummiddipoondi on the north section via Beach railway station.
