Railway Board Approves 15-Year-Old Plan to Merge Chennai MRTS with Metro

The Railway Board has approved the long-pending proposal to merge Chennai’s Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) with Chennai Metro Rail Ltd (CMRL), paving the way for unified management of the city’s urban rail network.

The proposal, first initiated in 2011, will be implemented in phases over a two-year transition period. Southern Railway will initially transfer MRTS assets and general maintenance responsibilities, while train operations and remaining duties will gradually shift to CMRL.

The transfer will cover major infrastructure, including stations, land, tracks, signalling systems, lifts, escalators and other facilities. The state government will make the agreed payment for the assets.

A joint committee of Southern Railway and the Tamil Nadu government will oversee the transition and resolve operational and administrative issues.

The merger is expected to bring MRTS under a unified management system and support better maintenance, passenger facilities and future planning for Chennai’s public transport network.