The long-awaited merger of Chennai’s Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) with the Chennai Metro Rail (CMRL) network may finally progress, as the Railway Board has given its ‘in-principle’ approval to the proposal, though a formal decision is still pending.

The move follows the completion of a key infrastructure project and the framing of a broad asset-transfer framework. In a written reply to Parliament, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed that the Indian Railways and the Tamil Nadu government have jointly developed the guiding principles for a memorandum of understanding (MoU). However, the operational merger depends on resolving issues concerning train operations, asset maintenance, and safety standards.

The proposal was earlier on hold until the fourth railway line between Chennai Beach and Chennai Egmore— sanctioned in March 2022 at a cost of Rs 279.8 crore, was completed and commissioned earlier this year. A special committee with members from Indian Railways and the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA) has now outlined the MoU’s contours, setting the stage for the long-pending integration of Chennai’s rail-based urban transport systems.