Portal:Trains/Selected article/Week 8, 2016

The Chennai Mass Rapid Transit System, a state-owned subsidiary of Indian Railways, is a metropolitan elevated railway line operated by Southern Railways. It is the first elevated railway line in India. Although it is segregated from the Chennai Suburban Railway, they both are operated by Southern Railway and are integrated in a wider urban rail network. Built at a cost of ₹ 11,710 million, the line runs within the city limits from Chennai Beach to Velachery, covering a distance of 19.34 km with 17 stations, with an average daily ridership of 100,000 commuters a day. Connecting the central business area of old Madras with the IT corridor, the section has a potential capacity of 425,000 passengers a day. In 2011–2012, MRTS registered a revenue of ₹ 198.9 million, registering a 16.25 percent increase, with 134 trains plying across all the 17 stations. The Chennai Metro project is expected to improve transit access in the city and will connect with the Chennai MRTS. To maximise its potential, the MRTS is being extended to St. Thomas Mount, and its operations may be transferred over to the Chennai Metro.