Over 133 Hectares of MRTS Land to Revert to Tamil Nadu Government

More than 133 hectares of land associated with Chennai's Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) will revert to the Tamil Nadu government as part of the system's handover from Southern Railway. The transfer encompasses significant stretches along the corridor, including sections between Mandaveli and Velachery.

The reverted properties comprise both government-owned and privately acquired parcels utilized across different phases of the MRTS network. These include land occupied by stations, parking lots, booking offices, and various other passenger amenities.

Under the agreed transition framework, the state government will take over MRTS assets and general operations within 90 days. Southern Railway will continue to handle core train operations and maintenance for a transition period of 24 months.

As part of the transfer, the state will assume control of physical and technical infrastructure, including stations, lifts, escalators, viaducts, tracks, signalling, telecom systems, and overhead electrification. The state government is required to pay the depreciated value of the infrastructure originally funded by the railways.

The largest land parcels involved in the transfer are tied to Phase II between Mandaveli and Velachery, which accounts for 98.93 hectares of government land, 5.21 hectares acquired under the Urban Land Ceiling Act, and an additional 4.60 hectares of private land.

For Phase I, running between Chennai Beach and Thirumayilai, the transfer includes 22.04 hectares of government land and 0.541 hectares of private land. Land parcels acquired for the Phase-II extension connecting Puzhuthivakkam and St Thomas Mount will also revert to the state government.