Velachery railway station
Velachery | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chennai MRTS station | |||||||||||
 Velachery MRTS station | |||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||
| Coordinates | 12°58′03″N 80°13′08″E / 12.967387°N 80.218965°E | ||||||||||
| Platforms | 4 (2 side platforms, 1 island platform) (280 m) | ||||||||||
| Tracks | 3 | ||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||
| Structure type | At grade | ||||||||||
| Platform levels | 1 | ||||||||||
| Parking | Yes | ||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||
| Station code | VLCY | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opened | 19 November 2007 | ||||||||||
| Passengers | |||||||||||
| 2009–10 | 50,000/day | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
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The Velachery MRTS Station is a ground level station on the Chennai MRTS railway line in Chennai. It is located near the junction of Velachery Main Road and Inner Ring Road in Velachery. The station is built on the northern banks of Pallikaranai wetland.
History
The station was opened on 19 November 2007. The EMU maintenance shed at the station was opened in 2008.
Structure
The length of the platform is 280 m.[1] The station premises also consists of 12,250 sq m of open parking area.[2]
EMU shed
The station has a massive shed for preventive maintenance of electrical multiple unit (EMU) rakes, which is spread over 44 hectares.[3] Before the opening of the shed in 2008, maintenance of the all MRTS rakes were being sent to Avadi.[4] However, the shed has been lying in disuse for the past few years. Due to this, there are currently no mid-night services between Chennai Beach and Velachery.[3]
Additional infrastructure
A bus bay in front of the station, set to become the biggest in south Chennai, is under construction at a cost of ₹ 100 million, jointly executed by the Southern Railway and the state government. To be built in about 60,000 sq m of land, the depot will be owned by the state government.[5]
A 3.4 km-long, 18 m-wide access road to Perungudi station and Taramani station is being constructed along the MRTS line from Velachery to Taramani.[6]
Patronage
The station primarily serves the residential community of Velachery and its neighbouring suburbs such as Madipakkam, Ullagaram-Puzhuthivakkam, Adambakkam and Pallikaranai.[7] The Velachery station receives the highest patronage among all the MRTS stations.[8]
Developments
In September 2013, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) invited tenders for setting up a food plaza in the station, along with two other stations, namely, Thirumayilai and Thiruvanmiyur.[9]
References
- ^ "MRTS Phase-II Extension". Development of MRTS in Chennai. CMDA. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
- ^ R.Ramanathan. "Presentation on MRTS & Rail facilities in and around Chennai" (PDF). Traffic Transportation and Parking – Session 2. CMDA, Chennai. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
- ^ a b Oppili, P.; Vivek Narayanan (12 November 2013). "EMU shed lies unused in Velachery". The Hindu. Chennai. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
- ^ "New MRTS station coming up". The Hindu. Chennai. 11 July 2008. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
- ^ Mariappan, Julie (16 June 2011). "Work begins on 15-acre bus bay". The Times of India. Chennai: The Times Group. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
- ^ "3.4-km-long road to connect MRTS stations in Chennai". The Hindu. 15 December 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
- ^ "Link road suffers from encroachment". The Hindu. 5 August 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
- ^ Ajai Sreevatsan (15 November 2009). "Poor patronage at some MRTS stations". The Hindu. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
- ^ Narayanan, Vivek (28 September 2013). "Missed a meal? Grab a bite at MRTS station in Chennai". The Hindu. Chennai. Archived from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.