MRTS, CMRL mulling integration of services
Now that phase I of Chennai Metro is fully operational and the MRTS line is also ready to be cleared, discussions are back on, sources said.
Chennai: The state transport department has begun discussing the integration of the MRTS services with the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) which operates metro services.
A private consulting company, Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC), was asked to prepare a feasibility report on the proposal, which was submitted in a few years back. Now that phase I of Chennai Metro is fully operational and the MRTS line is also ready to be cleared, discussions are back on, sources said.
Many do not know that the MRTS line is also not a complete one. The first line, between Beach and Velachery, began running in 2007 and another, between Velachery and St Thomas Mount, via Adambakkam was in the works. however, following several obstacles and the landowners not willing to give up their land for the service, the line was stalled.
However, the commuters are all the wearier because the prices may increase. "We hear the MRTS services run on losses but are so affordable for us. I travel from Moore market to St Thomas Mount to sell my ware. If the integrated system costs Rs 60 or 70, like the metro, I willnot be able to afford it," said Manimekalai, a flower seller. While the highest fare in MRTS service at present (from Chennai Beach to Velachery, a distance of 19 km) is '10, the minimum fare in CMRL service (from Airport to Meenambakkam, a distance of around 1.5 km) is '10. Comparatively, CMRL charges Rs 60 to travel from Airport to Shenoy Nagar, which is 19 km one-way.
Experts in the city too, agree that the two must be kept separate.
“The price difference is too steep, and target to very varied passenger demographics. if the merger is a well thought out one, the facilities can be made similar but the prices should remain more or less the same to cater to the masses.”