Adambakkam MRTS station in Chennai has remained closed to passenger services for more than seven months after a platform-train gap was found to exceed permissible safety standards, leaving trains to pass through without stopping despite the opening of the Velachery–St Thomas Mount extension.
The 4.5km extension was inaugurated on March 14, after which full-scale suburban services began between St Thomas Mount and Chennai Beach. Southern Railway currently operates at least 43 MRTS services on the Chennai Beach–St Thomas Mount route, along with six dedicated shuttle services between Velachery and St Thomas Mount.
Trains halt at Puzhuthivakkam, the other station on the extension, but Adambakkam remains non-operational. The chief commissioner of railway safety, Janak Kumar Garg, identified the problem during an inspection in March. On a curve, the gap between the train and the platform on the left side was found to be around 20cm wider than the permissible standard. Clearance was consequently not granted for passenger trains to stop at the station.
Railway officials had earlier said the construction wing was examining options to correct the defect, including changes to the platform and track. The Research Designs and Standards Organisation, or RDSO, was expected to provide the required design. Officials had also indicated that the alignment could be corrected within a month of the design being finalised.
That timeline has not resulted in the station opening. A senior railway official said most civic work at the station, apart from increasing the platform height, had been completed. The official added that a proposal to correct the platform alignment had been sent to the south commissioner of railway safety and that redesign work would begin after approval.
According to the official, the redesign work is expected to be completed by the end of the year. The station will require clearance before passenger halts can begin, meaning the extension is operating with one of its stations unavailable while the safety defect remains unresolved.
The closure has affected residents of Adambakkam, Nanganallur and Madipakkam, who must travel to Puzhuthivakkam or St Thomas Mount to board MRTS trains. T Sathish Kumar, a resident of Adambakkam, told the Times of India that reaching Puzhuthivakkam by bike takes about 10 minutes, while the train journey to St Thomas Mount takes 12 minutes. He said the arrangement was still faster than travelling by cab or auto, but that opening Adambakkam station would make daily travel easier.
The immediate next steps are approval of the alignment proposal by the south commissioner of railway safety, completion of the redesign and subsequent safety clearance before trains can halt at Adambakkam. The railway official has indicated that the corrective work is targeted for completion by year-end.
