Two rail network improvements that commuters in south and west Chennai have waited years did not open on the expected date. Officials have again cited pending safety clearances and incomplete works.
The Velachery–St Thomas Mount MRTS extension (about 4.5 km) was scheduled to begin operations on March 10, but it is still awaiting the mandatory go-ahead from the Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety (CCRS) after an inspection held on March 5, the report said. The corridor is meant to connect the MRTS with suburban rail and the Metro at St Thomas Mount, a change that would make transfers far simpler for passengers who now depend on road links between terminals.
At the same time, the first operational section of Chennai Metro Phase 2 also remains on hold. The 14.6-km Poonamallee Bypass to Vadapalani corridor has received only a conditional clearance. For services to begin the operator has to complete installation of 26 deck slabs on a double-decker viaduct. Officials were reported to be considering a phased opening, initially running trains between Poonamallee and Porur, before extending to Vadapalani once the double-decker works finish.
For commuters, the immediate impact is practical rather than political. The delays are keeping the pressure on already crowded roads and buses, especially along routes that rely on St Thomas Mount as a transfer point and on west Chennai corridors that have few fast, reliable public-transport alternatives.
