MTC’s loss not big gain for Chennai suburban railway

MTC loses 12 Lakh commuters since January last year, railway manages to attract just 24000 additional passengers a day.
A file photo of MTC buses parked in front of Chennai Central railway station |  express
A file photo of MTC buses parked in front of Chennai Central railway station | express

CHENNAI: The Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) has suffered a drop in commuters’ patronage by nearly 12 lakh since January last year for various reasons. Surprisingly, the Chennai suburban train network has failed to attract even 5 per cent of commuters and got its additional patronage increased only by 24,000 a day. 

The railways’ annual report presented before the Railway Board last week revealed that Chennai suburbs have witnessed only a marginal increase in their patronage despite trains being the cheapest mode of transport compared to share autos and buses. 

According to official data accessed by Express, a total of 11.24 lakh passengers (410.44 millions a year) travelled in Chennai suburban trains per day between April 2018 and March 2019 as against the previous year’s record of 11.006 lakh per day (401.72 millions per annum). 

The railways, which caters for intercity transportation in four sections, Chennai-Arakkonam, 
Chennai-Chengalpattu, Chennai-Gummidipundi and Chennai Beach-Velachery MRTS,  
has got 23,890 passengers additionally a day. 

This is despite the fact that the state government admitted to losing the MTC patronage by over 12 lakh in its policy note. The MTC, which catered for about 46 lakh commuters a day in Chennai and neighbouring Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts, witnessed the dip in patronage by nearly 10 lakh to 12 lakh after the ticket fares increased in January last. 

Besides withdrawal of about 10 to 15 per cent bus services owing to shortage of buses and workers, the MTC patronage came down to 33 lakh to 34 lakh a day. 

Official railway sources and transport experts attribute the saturation of suburban trains to the delay in developing the new lines and the Railways’ inability to introduce new trains connecting different destinations.

“Suburban trains are mostly used by regular commuters. Had the Velacherry-St Thomas Mount MRTS line been completed and extended up to Villivakkam as per the earlier plans, the suburban network would have grown substantially,” said S C Chezhiyan, retired official from construction wing of the Southern Railway, who was part of the team that developed St. Thomas Mount station a decade ago. 

The completion of Velacherry-St Thomas Mount MRTS link may have enabled the connectivity for southwestern suburban commuters to Mylapore, Tiruvanmiyur and Velachery via St. Thomas Mount, added Chezhiyan. 

The experts also suggested that a large chunk of commuters may have migrated to share autos and own vehicles. However, railway officials claimed that they had introduced trains on new routes and would improve the connectivity to new areas. “Cross-sectional services between Tambaram and Gummidipoondi via Chennai Beach and circular trains connecting Tiruvallur and Chengalpattu via Arakkonam have been launched. We have also extended trains from Arakkonam and Avadi up to Velachery. About 11 lakh passengers are served without much complaints,” said a senior railway official. 

Statistics speaks

  • MTC catered for about 46 lakh passengers before January 2018
  • The commuter patronage dropped to 33 lakh
  • Chennai suburban network catered about 11.006 lakh passengers a day from April 2017 to March 2018
  •  From April 2018 to March 2019, Chennai suburban trains carried about 11.24 lakh passengers a day
  • Despite being the cheapest mode of transport, the Railway unable to attract more passengers
  • Transport experts say the suburban network will grow only if trains are introduced in new routes

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com