St. Thomas Mount railway station

St. Thomas Mount railway station, locally known as Mount railway station or Parangimalai station, is one of the railway stations of the Chennai Beach–Chengalpattu section of the Chennai Suburban Railway Network. It serves the neighbourhood of St. Thomas Mount and Pazhavanthangal, which are suburbs of Chennai. It is located at a distance of 17 km (11 mi) from Chennai Beach terminus, with an elevation of 11 m (36 ft) above sea level.

St. Thomas Mount Parangimalai
Indian Railways, Chennai Suburban Railway and Chennai MRTS station
St. Thomas Mount Metro station
General information
Location	GST Road, St. Thomas Mount, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Coordinates	12°59′41″N 80°11′56″E
Owned by	Ministry of Railways, Indian Railways
Line(s)	South and South West lines of Chennai Suburban Railway
Platforms	5
Tracks	4
Construction
Structure type	Standard on-ground station (Railway station) Elevated station (Chennai MRTS and Chennai Metro)
Parking	Available
Other information
Status	Active
Station code	STM
Fare zone	Southern Railways
History
Electrified	Yes
Previous names	South Indian Railway
Services
Preceding station Chennai MRTS Following station Adambakkam towards Chennai Beach Line 1 Terminus Preceding station Chennai Suburban Following station Guindy towards Chennai Beach South Line Pazhavanthangal towards Tambaram, Chengalpattu Junction or Villupuram Junction
Route map Legend Chennai Beach — Villupuram North Line West Line 0.00 Chennai Beach High Court 1.80 Chennai Fort  MRTS  3.07 Chennai Central Green Line Blue Line 3.07 Chennai Park 3.07 Parktown MRTS 4.32 Chennai Egmore Green Line 6.56 Chetput Purple Line Cooum River 8.15 Nungambakkam 9.68 Kodambakkam Orange Line 11.29 Mambalam 12.90 Saidapet Adyar River 15.01 Guindy Blue Line 17.12 St. Thomas Mount Green Line Red Line  MRTS  18.75 Pazhavanthangal 20.04 Meenambakkam 21.22 Tirusulam Blue Line 23.15 Pallavaram 25.35 Chromepet Blue Line 27.36 Tambaram Sanatorium 29.14 Tambaram Blue Line 32.64 Perungalathur Blue Line 34.44 Vandalur Blue Line 37.48 Kilambakkam Blue Line 37.50 Urapakkam 40.41 Guduvancheri 43.94 Potheri 45.85 Kattangulathur 46.96 Maraimalai Nagar 51.48 Singaperumal Koil 55.59 Paranur 59.84 Chengalpattu Junction to Arakkonam 63.00 Tirumani 68.37 Ottivakkam 73.08 Padalam 80.83 Karunguzhi 84.48 Maduranthakam 91.07 Pakkam 95.37 Melmaruvathur 98.21 Acharapakkam 104.27 Tozhuppedu 109.44 Karasangal 113.86 Olakur 118.59 Panchalam 125.48 Tindivanam 134.84 Mailam 143.44 Perani 149.92 Vikravandi 156.44 Mundiyampakkam to Katpadi 162.76 Viluppuram Junction
Location

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.^[1] The MRTS part is under construction.

Integrated Terminus

St. Thomas Mount
Chennai Metro station
General information
Line(s)	Green Line Red Line
Platforms	Side platform Platform-1 → Train Terminates Here Platform-2 → M.G.R Chennai Central
Tracks	2
Construction
Structure type	Elevated
Platform levels	1
Other information
Station code	SMM
History
Opened	14 October 2016 (2016-10-14)
Electrified	Single-phase 25 kV 50 Hz AC overhead catenary
Services
Preceding station Chennai Metro Following station Alandur towards Chennai Central Green Line Terminus Alandur towards Madhavaram Milk Colony Red Line Adambakkam towards Sholinganallur
Route map Legend Chennai Suburban Railway South Line & South West Line Blue Line M.G.R Central Blue Line MRTS Egmore Chennai Suburban Railway South Line & South West Line Nehru Park Kilpauk Medical College Purple Line Pachaiyappa's College Shenoy Nagar Anna Nagar East Anna Nagar Tower Thirumangalam Red Line Chennai Port-Maduravoyal Expressway Cooum River NH 4: EVR Periyar Salai Koyambedu depot Koyambedu Red Line Jayalalithaa CMBT Arumbakkam Vadapalani Orange Line Ashok Nagar Adyar River Ekkattuthangal Kathipara Junction Arignar Anna Alandur Blue LineRed Line Blue Line St. Thomas Mount  MRTS  Red Line Chennai Suburban Railway South Line & South West Line
Location

St. Thomas Mount Metro station is a Metro-cum-MRTS railway station on the Green Line of the Chennai Metro. The station is an elevated station abutting the surface-level St. Thomas Mount suburban station of the Chennai Suburban Railway Network. 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–St. Thomas Mount Metro Rail.

Layout

The station will include access to all the 3 suburban rail modes of the city, at multiple levels.^[1] 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.^[2]

Level-0 – New suburban rail platform

The existing suburban station at ground level can be accessed from new terminal using a foot overbridge.^[3]

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.^[4]

Station layout (Indian Suburban Railways)

G	Street level	Exit/Entrance & ticket counter
P1	FOB, Side platform | Doors will open on the left
	Platform 1	Towards → Chennai Beach Next Station: Guindy
	FOB, Island platform | P1 Doors will open on the left/right | P2 Doors will open on the right
	Platform 2	Towards ← Tambaram / Chengalpattu Jn / Villuppuram Jn Next Station: Pazhavanthangal
	Platform 3	Towards → Chennai Egmore
	FOB, Island platform | P3 and P4 | (Express Line)
	Platform 4	Towards ← Chengalpattu Junction
P1

Level-1 – Concourse for mixing of Passengers

The concourse will have ticket booths and escalators and lifts will take commuters to the platforms above.^[5]

Level-2 – MRTS rail

The MRTS will be at a height of 12 m.^[6]

Level-3 – Metro rail

The station is among the elevated stations coming up along corridor II of the Chennai Metro, Chennai Central–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.^[7]

Station Layout (Metro)

G	Street Level	Exit/Entrance
L1	Mezzanine	Fare control, station agent, Metro Card vending machines, crossover
L2	Side platform | Doors will open on the left
	Platform 2 Northbound	Towards → Chennai Central Next Station: Arignar Anna Alandur Change at the next station for Blue Line
	Platform 1 Southbound	Towards ← Train Terminates Here
	Side platform | Doors will open on the left
L3	Side platform | Doors will open on the left
	Platform 3 Southbound	Towards → Sholinganallur Next Station: Adambakkam
	Platform 4 Northbound	Towards ← Madhavaram Depot Next Station: Alandur
	Side platform | Doors will open on the left

History

The station lies in the Chennai Beach–Tambaram 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.^[8] The section was converted to 25 kV AC traction on 15 January 1967.^[9]

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.^[6] 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.^{[10] [11]}

Upgradation

As of 2023, the station had a footfall of 30,000 passengers a day.^[12] The task of upgrading of the station was taken up in 2023 under Indian Railway's "Amruth Bharath" scheme at a cost of ₹ 141.5 million.^[12]

Future

With the integration of five modes of public transport – suburban railway, Southern Railway, Metro Rail, MRTS and public buses the station is expected to become the city's largest transit hub after Chennai Central.^[13]

Access Roads

A two-lane circular road has also been planned around the station so that buses can pick up commuters.^[14] 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.^[15]

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.^[6]

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.^[15]

Projects and development

It is one of the 73 stations in Tamil Nadu to be named for upgradation under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme of Indian Railways.^[16]

See also

• India portal

• Railway stations in Chennai
• List of Chennai metro stations
• Chennai Suburban Railway
• Chennai Metro

References

1. "Three avatars of rail services under one house". The Times of India. Chennai. 24 November 2010. Archived from the original on 16 June 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
2. Hemalatha, Karthikeyan; V Ayyappan (17 January 2013). "All roads to lead to metro stations". The Times of India. Chennai: The Times Group. Archived from the original on 1 February 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
3. "FOB to link Metro and suburban train networks". The Hindu. 4 March 2016.
4. "PHASE II OF METRO UNDER CONSIDERATION". Archived from the original on 11 July 2015.
5. "A ToI Artist's impression of proposed St Thomas Mount Station Complex".
6. "பிரமாண்டமாக உருவாகும் பரங்கிமலை மெட்ரோ ரயில் நிலையம்" (PDF). Dinamalar. Chennai. 31 October 2012. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
7. Sekar, Sunitha (28 January 2014). "CMRL ends deal with contractor for stations". The Hindu. Chennai. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
8. "Electric Traction – I". IRFCA.org. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
9. "IR Electrification Chronology up to 31.03.2004". History of Electrification. IRFCA.org. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
10. Sekar, Sunitha (5 January 2014). "St. Thomas Mount Metro station suffers delays". The Hindu. Chennai. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
11. "Metro: focus on St. Thomas Mount". The Hindu. 4 June 2015.
12. Ayyappan, V. (2 December 2023). "Chennai's Guindy and St Thomas Mount railway stations to get new look, better facilities". The Times of India. The Times Group. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
13. "Integrated station at St.Thomas Mount planned". The Hindu. 12 April 2010.
14. Ayyappan, V (28 January 2013). "From Tonga Stop to Transport Hub". The Times of India. Chennai: The Times Group. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
15. Ayyappan, V (11 June 2013). "St Thomas Mount railway station to get longer platform". The Times of India. Chennai. Archived from the original on 22 July 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
16. "AMRIT BHARAT STATIONS". Press Information Bureau. New Delhi. 10 February 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2024.

External links

• St. Thomas Mount railway station on IndiaRailInfo.com
• Official website for Chennai Metro Rail Limited