Southern Railway Sends Draft MoU for MRTS Takeover

After several months of waiting, the Southern Railway has finally sent the draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the takeover of the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) by Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) to the Tamil Nadu government.

The next step is for Southern Railway to send the draft MoU to the Railway Board in March. If the Railway Board gives its approval in the next few months, the MoU can be officially signed between the Tamil Nadu government and Southern Railway in June. Once this happens, the actual process of integrating MRTS with CMRL will begin.

The idea of merging MRTS with CMRL is not new. It was first proposed in 2010 to make commuting easier for people in Chennai. However, the process has faced many delays over the years, which has frustrated daily commuters.

The Railway Board had already given its in-principle approval for the takeover in July last year, but the MoU had not been signed until now. With the draft finally sent and approvals expected soon, commuters may finally see progress in connecting MRTS and CMRL, making Chennai’s public transport system more convenient and integrated.