St Thomas Mount rises as Chennai's new transport hub
Railway station set for multi-modal integration; Rs 14.15 crore works to upgrade its facilities to be completed by March

CHENNAI: While the entire attention of the metropolis has been on the big-ticket Central Square project, set to be developed by the Tamil Nadu government, officials of Southern Railway (SR) have been silently transforming the outlook of St Thomas Mount Railway Station, the emerging multi-modal transportation hub of the city.
St Thomas Mount Station, where the Beach-Velachery MRTS, Chennai Metro Rail and Beach-Tambaram/Chengalpattu suburban corridors converge, would sport a new look in less than a couple of months with upgraded facilities. The facelift undertaken at Rs 14.15 crore would include improvement to the state façade on the eastern and western sides and entry arches on the bus stop side of the station.
New ticket booking windows to cater to growing passenger demand and a new pedestrian plaza with signages to optimize accessibility are also on the anvil. Also, a near makeover of the station platforms, with resurfacing of floors and additional shelters, is underway. Parking, one of the major concerns of the station with a daily footfall of 25,000 now, would also undergo a turnaround with the renovation of the existing parking areas and strengthening of the floors at both the main entry side and CMRL side. Improved public announcement systems and passenger information display boards are also underway at the station which would get better CCTV surveillance to enhance passenger safety.
Railway officials have set March 2025 as the deadline to finish the work. The infrastructure development works could help meet the requirements of the passengers once the MRTS service from Velachery gets extended to St Thomas Mount following the completion of the crucial final link leading to the station. A senior SR officer said the upgrade to the station was essential as it would be a crucial link in the city's rail transport network considering the multi-modal integration at the station. The SR officer also admitted that they are not averse to even considering a stoppage for express trains at St Thomas Mount, like in Mambalam and Tambaram stations, once the multi-modal integration and station development works are over. The station might go for additional infra development, at least in ticket booking, passenger waiting area and also feeder service once the express train stoppage is implemented, the officer said.