St. Thomas Mount railway station, or Mount railway station, is one of the railway stations of the
Chennai Beach
Chennai Beach (formerly known as Madras Beach) (station code: MSB) is a railway terminus of the Southern Railway network in Parry's Corner, Chennai, India. Built on reclaimed land, the station serves the suburban services of the Chennai Subu ...
–
Chengalpattu
Chengalpattu, previously known as Chingleput, is a city and the headquarters of Chengalpattu district of the state Tamil Nadu, India. The town is located near to the industrial and IT hub. It is the headquarters of the district and is away fro ...
section of the
Chennai Suburban Railway Network
The Chennai Suburban Railway is a commuter rail system in the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, operated by the Southern Railways branch of Indian Railways. It is the second largest suburban rail network in terms of route length and the third ...
. It serves the neighbourhood of
St. Thomas Mount
Parangimalai (known in English as St. Thomas Mount) is a small hillock in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, near the neighbourhood of Guindy and very close to Chennai International Airport.
The ancient Syrian Christian community of India trace t ...
and
Pazhavanthangal, which are suburbs of
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
. It is located at a distance of from Chennai Beach terminus, with an elevation of above
sea level
Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...
.
The station is also an integrated railway station for all the three modes of rail transport in the city, namely, Chennai suburban railway,
MRTS, and
Metro Rail.
The MRTS part is under construction.
Integrated Terminus
St. Thomas Mount Metro station is a
Metro
Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to:
Geography
* Metro (city), a city in Indonesia
* A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center
Public transport
* Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urba ...
-cum-
MRTS railway station on the
Green Line of the
Chennai Metro
The Chennai Metro is a rapid transit system serving the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is the 4th longest metro system In india. The system commenced service in 2015 after partially opening the first phase of the project. The network c ...
. The station is an elevated station abutting the surface-level St. Thomas Mount suburban station of the
Chennai Suburban Railway Network
The Chennai Suburban Railway is a commuter rail system in the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, operated by the Southern Railways branch of Indian Railways. It is the second largest suburban rail network in terms of route length and the third ...
. The metro level of the station started functioning on 14 October 2016 while the MRTS level is under construction.
The new terminal is envisaged as an integrated railway station for all the three modes of rail transport in the city, namely, Chennai Beach—Chengalpattu section of the Chennai Suburban Railway, terminal point of Chennai Beach—St. Thomas Mount MRTS, and
Chennai Central
Chennai Central (station code: MAS, short for ''Madras''), officially known as Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central Railway Station, is the main railway terminus in the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is the busiest railway ...
–St. Thomas Mount Metro Rail.
Layout
It is planned to design, the proposed elevated St Thomas Mount Metro Rail station, as a 'signature station' that would integrate all the
3 suburban rail modes of the city, at multiple levels.
[
The integrated station will have three levels, namely, ground level for suburban station, level 1 for MRTS, and level 2 for Metro Rail. The length of the platform at the Metro station will be 140 m and the entire station complex will have a total built-up area of 48,000 sq m.]
Level-0 – New suburban rail platform
The existing suburban station at ground level can be accessed from new terminal using a foot overbridge. According to officials of Chennai Metro Rail Limited
The Chennai Metro is a rapid transit system serving the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is the 4th longest metro system In india. The system commenced service in 2015 after partially opening the first phase of the project. The network c ...
(CMRL), they will soon start work on the construction of this foot-over-bridge and complete it before commissioning of the station.
As per the new design, the elevated station will have a Metro Rail station on the top floor, followed by an MRTS station a level below and then a vast concourse area for commuters to switch over to these two modes or to step down to the ground level, which will house – new ground level platform – for suburban trains, within the new Station block.
Level-1 – Concourse for mixing of Passengers
The concourse will have ticket booths and escalators and lifts will take commuters to the platforms above.
Level-2 – MRTS rail
The MRTS will be at a height of 12 m.
Level-3 – Metro rail
The station is among the elevated stations coming up along corridor II of the Chennai Metro, Chennai Central
Chennai Central (station code: MAS, short for ''Madras''), officially known as Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central Railway Station, is the main railway terminus in the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is the busiest railway ...
–St. Thomas Mount stretch. The station will be the largest of the elevated stations of the Chennai Metro and will come up at a height of 23 m.
Station Layout (Metro)
History
The station lies in the Chennai Beach–Tambaram
Tambaram is a southern suburb of Chennai, India. Located in the Chengalpattu district of Tamil Nadu, it is governed by Tambaram City Municipal Corporation and is a part of the Chennai Metropolitan Area.
Etymology
Tambaram is an ancient town ...
section of the Chennai Suburban Railway Network, the first suburban section of the city. With the completion of track-lying work in March 1931, which began in 1928, the suburban services were started on 11 May 1931 between Beach and Tambaram, and was electrified on 15 November 1931, with the first MG EMU services running on 1.5 kV DC. The section was converted to 25 kV AC traction on 15 January 1967.
As of 2012, an integrated terminal for Chennai Metro and MRTS is under construction at the station complex at a cost of 780 million. The construction is expected to be completed by September 2013. The 780-million contract for the construction of the station was initially awarded to Consolidated Construction Consortium Limited (CCCL). However, owing to delay the contract was terminated and is being given to a new contractor.
With the first service of Chennai Metro between Koyambedu and Alandur opened for public use – on 29 June 2015 – the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has now shifted the focus on laying the track up to St. Thomas Mount.
Future
With the integration of five modes of public transport – suburban railway
Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are cons ...
, Southern Railway, Metro Rail, MRTS and public buses the station is expected to become the city's largest transit hub after Chennai Central
Chennai Central (station code: MAS, short for ''Madras''), officially known as Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central Railway Station, is the main railway terminus in the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is the busiest railway ...
.
Access Roads
A two-lane circular road has also been planned around the station so that buses can pick up commuters.
Anticipating increased patronage upon the completion of Metro Rail, the Medavakkam-Madipakkam road that runs in front of the station is being widened. It is expected that MRTS and metro rail services will together bring in more than 100,000 commuters at the station.
Parking
Parking facility include 10,000 sq m space at the ground level and provisions for 3,000 two-wheelers at level 1. Upon completion, the station will be the third largest in the city after Chennai Central and Chennai Egmore
Chennai Egmore, formerly known as Madras Egmore, also known as Chennai Elumbur (station code: MS), is a railway station in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Situated in the neighborhood of Egmore, it is one of the four intercity railway terminals in t ...
.
Express Train halt
In June 2013, Southern Railway started the ground work to extend platforms at the station to halt express trains. A spare platform of the station, which is being used to park old rakes, is being extended at an estimated cost of 60 million. The platform, which can currently take only 22-coach trains, will be expanded to handle 24-rake trains and a link track will be laid.[
]
See also
* Railway stations in Chennai
Chennai, the capital city of the state of Tamil Nadu, India, and the headquarters of the Southern Railway zone, is a major rail transport hub in the country. It has over 40 railway stations which are part of an extensive suburban railway ne ...
* List of Chennai metro stations
* Chennai Suburban Railway
The Chennai Suburban Railway is a commuter rail system in the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, operated by the Southern Railways branch of Indian Railways. It is the second largest suburban rail network in terms of route length and the third ...
* Chennai Metro
The Chennai Metro is a rapid transit system serving the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is the 4th longest metro system In india. The system commenced service in 2015 after partially opening the first phase of the project. The network c ...
References
External links
St. Thomas Mount railway station on IndiaRailInfo.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Thomas Mount railway station
Railway stations in Chennai
Stations of Chennai Suburban Railway
Chennai Metro stations