Merger of Chennai MRTS with Chennai Metro Rail: Chennai’s Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) is set to come under Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) after 15 years. The MRTS started operations in October 1997 on the Chennai Beach-Chepauk route. It was later extended in phases, with the final extension to Velachery completed in November 2007. The Velachery route is currently operational.The Railway Board has now approved the draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Southern Railway, on behalf of the Government of India, and the Tamil Nadu government for handing over the MRTS assets, operations and maintenance to the state government. The approval was conveyed in a letter dated August 12, 2026, addressed to the General Manager of Southern Railway.“…approval of Draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Southern Railway (GOI) and Government of Tamil Nadu for Handing over of Assets, Operation and Maintenance of MRTS (Suburban Services) to Government of Tamil Nadu, (May’ 2026), has been sought. The issue has been examined in Board and approval of Ministry of Railways is conveyed for the above said Draft MoU,” reads the letter.Also Read | Chennai Metro Phase 2 hits 54% completion; new corridors to link airport, railway stationsAbout Chennai Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS)The Chennai MRTS currently carries around 1 lakh passengers every day, with most of the demand coming during peak hours from office-goers and students.The MRTS corridor is around 25 km long and has 21 stations, covering the route up to St Thomas Mount. The stations are:Chennai Beach, Chennai Fort, Park Town, Chintadripet, Chepauk, Tiruvallikeni, Light House, Mundakanni Amman Koil, Tirumayilai, Mandaveli, Greenways Road, Kotturpuram, Kasturba Nagar, Indira Nagar, Tiruvanmiyur, Taramani, Perungudi, Velachery, Puzhuthivakkam, Adambakkam and St Thomas Mount.Also Read | Chennai Metro new rule: Playing music without earphones can attract Rs 2,500 fineBenefits of Chennai MRTS merger with Chennai Metro RailThe MRTS already has multimodal connections with the Chennai Metro at six stations — Chennai Fort, Park Town, Mylapore, Thiruvanmiyur, Adambakkam and St Thomas Mount.Story continues below this adThe merger with Chennai Metro is expected to make train operations more seamless and improve connectivity between different modes of public transport in the city. In a statement Southern Railway said: “The merger will provide seamless multimodal Integration across Metro, MRTS, Suburban Rail networks and Bus Services in Chennai.”According to the MoU, integrating the MRTS with other urban transport systems has become increasingly important due to the growing demand for public transport in the Chennai Metropolitan Area.With the city expanding and travel patterns changing, better coordination between different transport systems can help provide smoother connectivity, make passenger movement easier and improve the use of existing transport infrastructure.The handover is expected to be completed within 90 days of signing the agreement. Southern Railway will continue to handle the operation and maintenance of MRTS services during a 24-month transition period.Story continues below this ad“During the transition period, SR will take up core train operation & maintenance of the MRTS system free of cost and GoTN will prepare itself to take over the operations of the MRTS system,” reads the statement.As per the MoU, within 90 days of signing the agreement, the Tamil Nadu government will deploy staff for ticketing and general operation and maintenance of the MRTS, including ticketing, housekeeping and security personnel. The ticketing will be handled by the state government through the M-UTS system. During the transition period, the fare and non-fare revenue collected by the state government will be remitted to Southern Railway. However, ticket checking will continue to be handled by the Railways.The MoU said the integration is aimed at improving multimodal connectivity, commuter convenience and coordination between different suburban transport systems.The idea of integrating the MRTS with the Metro system also goes back to 2009. While approving the Chennai Metro project in February 2009, the Government of India had highlighted the long-term need to integrate the operation and management of the Chennai MRTS with the proposed Metro system.