Kamal Ghorui
Chennai: Passenger footfall at the city’s MRTS stations has surged within days of the inauguration of the St Thomas Mount-Velachery extension line, with St Thomas Mount recording an increase from 35,270 passengers on March 14 to 49,013 on March 16, and Velachery’s count rising from 37,993 to 69,247 in the same period, Chennai division of Southern Railway said.Officials said the strong jump in ridership reflects encouraging public response to the extended services commissioned on March 14.To cater to the rising demand, the division is operating 43 pairs of extended EMU services between Chennai Beach and St Thomas Mount, in addition to five pairs of shuttle services connecting Beach-Velachery and Velachery-St Thomas Mount. While St Thomas Mount and Puzhuthivakkam stations are now operational, Adambakkam MRTS station is undergoing civil works and is yet to open to the public.Officials said the extension has significantly improved connectivity to key areas such as Thiruvanmiyur, Perungudi and Velachery. “Passengers now benefit from seamless rail connectivity, reducing travel time and dependence on road transport, particularly during peak hours,” a release said.The opening of the delayed extension line has made St Thomas Mount an intermodal hub by linking suburban rail, MRTS and metro networks at a single point. This has enabled commuters from core city areas such as Mylapore, Triplicane and Anna Nagar to seamlessly switch between the different train services to reach transit hubs like the airport, Perungalathur and Tambaram.
