Some good news for
MRTS users ~ the Hindu reports that six car
rakes are replaced by nine car trains.
Everyday at
Tharamani Railway station [at some other stations too] – people spot the
oncoming train [from Perungudi] on the curve, judge it
and then start walking fast – reason, if it is 9 car rake, it will stop farther
in the station – the Ladies coach will be positioned much at the front and
those in the front will be lot emptier than the other.
Parakkum rail (not the full path though !)~ is Chennai
Mass Rapid Transit System, a state-owned subsidiary of Indian
Railways, unique elevated railway line in India. The
line runs a distance of 19.34 km (12.02 mi) with 18 stations, from Beach
to Velachery…… with plans to get extended to St Thomas Mount thereby getting
linked to the existing Beach Tambaram EMU line. The alignment from
Chennai Beach to Park Town is along the existing broad-gauge suburban system
(2.75 km (1.71 mi), surface); alignment from Park Town to Thirumayilai is along
the Buckingham canal (6.21 km (3.86 mi), elevated) ~ further till Velacherry is
also on elevated line.
The Mass Rapid
Transit system (Parakkum rail) is not exactly overcrowded. It has the
following Stations (read the distance in Km within bracket from origin)….
Chennai Beach; Fort (1.7); Parktown (2.54); Chintadripet (3.43); Chepauk (5);
Thiruvallikkeni (5.74); Lighthouse (6,95);
Mundaka kanniamman temple (7.925); Thirumayilai (8.66); Mandaveli
(9.69); Greenways Road (11.02); Kotturpuram(11.892); Kasturba Nagar (12.824);
Indira Nagar (13.796); Thiruvanmiyur (14.655); Taramani (16.57); Perungudi
(17.713) and Velachery (19.34).
Commuters
of Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) have something to cheer about as the
six-car rakes have been replaced with nine-car train services. The Hindu quotes a senior official of the
Southern Railway stating that uniform operation of nine cars replacing six-car
trains was launched on the MRTS section from July 31. Even before that date,
almost 80 per cent of the services on the MRTS section were operated with nine
cars, particularly during peak hours. [though regulars may not vouch for this
!!!] The advantage arising out of the nine-car services would be the
availability of ‘First Class’ compartments for commuters, which were previously
not available, he added.
The
trains unlike their initial years when they were running empty are getting
filled up at Velachery station itself in the peak hours, though the maximum of
commuters board at Thiruvanmiyur. To them, this 9 car would be an enjoyable facility.
However,
the Senior Official is quoted as saying that there is no proposal to increase
the train services as of now. Also the
facilities [or the lack of them at the Station] continues to be a worry. While the commuters look forward to the link
of this line to St. Thomas Mount – the
route to Kalpakkam via Sholinganallur, Navalur,
seemingly is only on paper.
Life
has moved a long way albeit slow pace from the plans in 1983 to the
inauguration in Nov 1995 whence train ran from Beach to Chepauk – then extended
to Thirumayilai in 1997. Till 2004,
when it was extended to Thiruvanmiyur, the patronage was abysmally poor due to
various factors mainly the positioning of the stations, not easily
accessible. On 14th May 2014,
the train made its first halt MundakaKanni Amman Temple station situate in between Light House and
Thirumayilai, nearer Thiruvalluvar statue / Sanskrit college / Karaneeswarar
Temple and Sri MadhavaPerumal temple.
This station derives its name from the Temple in the same street where
the Station too is located … the Ambal ‘MundakaKanniAmman’ -Mundakam means lotus flower.
Happy
travelling ! – may be in a few more months, we will hear people clamouring that
nine cars are crowded and that it should be 12 car rakes [not sure whether the
existing stations can properly accommodate them] or trains at increased
frequency ! Here is the train timetable
as at Velacherry …..
With
regards – S. Sampathkumar
4th
Aug 2015.
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