Prime Minister's Office Directs Railway Board To Fast-Track Work On Long-Pending Chennai Metro Rail-MRTS Merger: Report

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has reportedly directed the Railway Board to fast-track the long-pending merger of Chennai’s Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) with Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), the Hindu reported.

This follows Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin’s meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the recent NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting, where he submitted a memorandum listing the transfer of MRTS to CMRL as a key priority.

Following the meeting between the Chief Minister and the Prime Minister, the PMO directed the Railway Board to accelerate the work on Chennai Metro-MRTS merger, The Hindu reported, citing a source in the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA).

The Railway Board had asked three queries to the Southern Railways.

"We hope that the board gives an approval soon,” the source added.

A senior official of Railways cited in the report said they have responded to all the queries raised by the board so far.

Although the merger has been in discussion for over a decade, it has struggled to move forward.

In recent years, CUMTA has taken the lead in pushing the project ahead and formally submitted a detailed proposal to the Railway Board in February 2024.

The proposal highlights the financial strain of the MRTS, which spends nearly Rs 104 crore each year on operations but earns only about Rs 50 crore in revenue.

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