MRTS patronage drops steeply as services stop at Chintadripet

MRTS services in Chennai face decline in popularity post-lockdown, causing inconvenience to commuters due to service truncation and delays.

While the process of handing over the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) to the Tamil Nadu government is at an advanced stage, the MRTS has been losing its popularity among the commuters since the COVID-19 lockdown.

The latest problem is the truncation of the services at Chintadripet and the delay in resuming full services till Chennai Beach. The truncation was to facilitate the construction of the crucial fourth line between Beach and Egmore.

At one point, the MRTS transported more than 1.80 lakh commuters daily, but the number has come down because of various factors: services at an interval of 30 minutes at off-peak hours, absence of services beyond 10.30 p.m., poor last-mile connectivity, and concerns over safety.

The truncation of services at Chintadripet has caused hardship to commuters bound for the gateways to the Information Technology Corridor — Thiruvanmiyur and Taramani — from Avadi, Pattabiram and Tiruvallur because of the absence of cross-sectoral direct services.

According to the data provided by Southern Railway, except for Chintadripet, the number of commuters has fallen at Velachery, Thiruvanmiyur, Taramani, Thirumayilai, and Light House.

While Chintadripet recorded a huge rise in the number of commuters, from 3,800 to 29,000, all other stations reported a drop. Velachery has recorded a drop from 68,000 commuters last year to 63,000 this year, Thiruvanmiyur from 15,100 to 12,400, Taramani from 10,850 to 8,090, Thirumayilai from 8,350 to 8,090, and Light House from 6,200 to 3,950.

A large number of commuters have opted for other modes of transport, including private vehicles and Metro Rail, to reach the Chennai Central and Parry’s Corner, as MRTS previously served government officials working in the Secretariat, office-goers, and lawyers of the Madras High Court.