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Chennai MRTS Handover to CMRL: What Changes for Commuters

The MRTS is moving to the state and CMRL, but Southern Railway will run trains for two more years. What changes now, what waits, and the Fort-Beach doubling plan.

18 October 2026

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The Railway Board has approved the agreement under which Chennai’s MRTS elevated line will move from Southern Railway to the Tamil Nadu government and, later, to Chennai Metro Rail Limited. Commuters should not expect metro-style trains or fares soon. For the first two years Southern Railway will keep running the trains, keep the ticket checking and keep the fare revenue, DT Next reported.

The MRTS runs from Chennai Beach through Park Town, Chepauk, Thirumayilai, Mandaveli, Kasturba Nagar and Velachery to St. Thomas Mount. Many people on that line have waited years for the merger. Here is what the agreement does and what it leaves for later.

What was agreed

The takeover was first discussed in 2011, and Southern Railway gave in-principle approval in 2022. The Ministry of Railways has since approved a memorandum of understanding between Southern Railway, the state government and CMRL. It transfers the MRTS assets, operations and maintenance to the state, DT Next reported. A second agreement between the state and CMRL will follow. The Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA) is coordinating the handover.

The main terms, as reported:

Within 90 days of signing, the state must put its own staff at stations for ticket sales, security and general upkeep.
For 24 months, Southern Railway continues to run and maintain the trains, with its crews and EMU rakes, at no charge to the state.
Revenue from fares and other sources collected during the transition goes to Southern Railway.
Ticket checking stays with the Railways.
Payment: the state must pay for the land, assets and infrastructure, in full or in instalments, before the transition ends. The amount has not been published.
Trains remain Southern Railway’s until the state buys its own rolling stock or the two years end, whichever is later.

CUMTA has estimated station maintenance, security, housekeeping, ticket counters, toilets, lifts and escalators at Rs 5 crore to Rs 6 crore a month, DT Next reported on 5 October.

What changes for passengers, and when

In the next few months: you may see state or CMRL staff at counters and on security duty instead of railway staff. CMRL sources have said MRTS station facilities will be assessed and upgraded for accessibility and maintenance. Fares, timetables and the trains themselves stay as they are. None of the reports has announced a fare change.

During the two years: the main operational change being discussed is doubling the single-track section between Chennai Fort and Beach. This bottleneck caps how often trains can run. The Reserve Bank of India declined to give up the land first sought, so CUMTA has proposed using a 3 to 4 metre strip along the Corporation road on the High Court side. CUMTA says that could cut the interval between trains from about 20 minutes to about 5 minutes. The state would bear the extra cost.

After the transition: CMRL would take over train operations, ideally with new rolling stock. Suburban trains will keep using MRTS platforms 9 and 10 at Beach up to St. Thomas Mount, and the Railways will share those platforms after the handover.

The Velachery to St. Thomas Mount link is now running

The extension from Velachery to St. Thomas Mount opened to passengers in March 2026, after years of delay that included a girder collapse in 2024. It adds stations at Puzhuthivakkam and Adambakkam and connects the MRTS with the suburban line and the metro at St. Thomas Mount. Footfall at Velachery has risen since. However, trains were still skipping Adambakkam later that month. Southern Railway cited operational reasons, and an official said the station had not yet been handed over, DT Next reported. We could not confirm whether that has changed since, so check at the station before relying on an Adambakkam stop.

Getting to the new stations is still difficult. Residents of Madipakkam, Adambakkam and Keelkattalai told DT Next that bus links were thin. MTC has floated a tender for 300 seven-metre low-floor AC feeder buses, with the stated aim of keeping walks to under 400 metres.

Practical tips for MRTS riders now

Keep buying tickets and season passes the way you do now. Southern Railway still runs the trains and keeps the fare revenue during the transition, and no change to ticketing has been announced. If state staff take over the counters, ask there whether anything is different.
Tickets bought through CMRL do not cover MRTS trains yet. The Chennai One app planned to add suburban and MRTS trains, PTI reported at its launch.
To change to the metro, use St. Thomas Mount for the Green Line, or walk from Velachery and Thirumayilai once the Phase 2 Corridor 3 stations there are ready.

Quick answers

Has CMRL taken over the MRTS?

Not fully. The Railway Board has approved the handover agreement, but Southern Railway will run the trains for a 24-month transition.

Will MRTS fares go up?

No fare change has been announced. Fare revenue stays with Southern Railway during the transition.

Will trains become more frequent?

That depends mainly on doubling the Fort to Beach section, which CUMTA wants done within the two-year transition.

The state’s integrated transport plans are coordinated by CUMTA. Phase 2 metro diversion points near Thirumayilai and Mandaveli are listed on CMRL’s site.

Information checked against official sources on 18 October 2026. Fees, dates and rules can change; confirm on the linked official pages before acting.