C SHIVAKUMAR @ CHENNAI:
Passengers
travelling on Mass Rapid Transit system (MRTS) will avail comforts more
or less akin to Chennai Metro as the the railway service owned by
Southern Railway is set to be segregated and handed over to Chennai
Metro Rail.
The
usually lifeless stations like Chennai Fort and Park Town are likely to
be be segregated from the usual suburban stations and may be
refurbished as there are plans to install lifts and escalators in these
stations, according to sources in Chennai Metro and Southern Railway.
This
would be mean the quality of train ravel on the MRTS station station
from Beach station to Velachery will be upgraded with coaches similar to
Chennai Metro.
It
is learnt from official sources that MRTS will not have the suburban
rail coaches but new metro rolling stock with new communications-based
train control (CBTC) system which will have metro-standard signalling
across the full line.
Similarly,
the entire stations will undergo repairs and renovations and platform
modifications will be required for the new rolling stock which will be
rolled out once the merger takes place.
Stations
along the MRTS network will have modern telecommunication system at all
stations including CCTV cameras, automated fare collection gates,
passenger information systems and passenger announcement system. But
then there would be no guage conversion. MRTS will remain a broad guage
line since gauge conversion will be too disruptive, sources added.
Interestingly,
these are the suggestions of interim report submitted by consultants
PricewaterhouseCoopers and Balaji Railroad Systems which had suggested
the assets of MRTS to taken and those that have to be handed over to
Southern Railway.
The
report has suggested that assets to be taken over include civil station
structures, the MRTS yard area at Beach station, all electrical
substations, overhead electric lines and functional electrical assets.
Those assets which have to be handed over to Southern Railway include
existing platforms at Beach station used for MRTS, the current rolling
stock used on the network and entire signalling and telecommunications
infrastructure currently installed.
Plans
are also on to have a new terminus and concourse at Beach station which
is within the existing MRTS yard with direct entry to and from Rajaji
Salai and a separate area for interchange passengers. Sources told
Express that there is also an option to build new MRTS platform further
south of existing platforms, which will be used by southern Railways.
Interestingly,
a clearer picture is likely to merge on Friday when stakeholders
meeting is scheduled. It is likely that a final shape would be given by
the consultants who will present a draft final report which will focus
on analysis of capital expenditure and the future capital and operating
costs post-merger scenario. “This will identify the required capital
investment needed to bring MRTS up to metro standards, including
improvements identified in the interim report,” sources added.
“The
operating and maintenance costs for the new metro-style service will be
established and the projected financial viability of the new line will
be indicated,” source added.
However,
the main focus of the draft final report would be structuring the
takeover. It will include the possibility of integrating MRTS within the
existing CMRL structure or establishing it as separate company with
CMRL taking over the role of an operator.
Factfile:
How MRTS will be upgraded to metro standard?
1. Beach station will be upgraded with new terminus
2. Fort and Park suburban and MRTS statiosn will be segregated with installation of lifts and escalators
3. All MRTS stations will be renovated with platform modications for metro rail coaches
4. New communications-based train control system for metro standard signalling
5. Installation
of modern telecom systems at all stations including CCTV, passenger
information systems, passenger announcements systems
6. Procurement of metro rolling stock with onboard communications based train control
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