A walk-through of the clockwork precision of Chennai Metro Rail system

The Hindu

11-05-2025

Metro is sleek. It offers the most comfortable journey in a public transport system in Chennai. It is easy for the commuters who hop on and off in a jiffy. As in any other mass transit system, the workforce doesn't sleep so as to take you to your destination, safe and fast, along the 54-km phase I network. Here is a simple walk-through from the time the clockwork precision begins at the Metro Rail system. It all begins at Koyambedu, the depot control centre and the operations control centre, as early as 3.45 a.m., when the train operators walk in.
We speak to an operator, Punitha, 30, to know how she prepares the train for the passengers. 'I have been an operator for three years. I start the day at nearly half past two in the morning and walk into the depot at Koyambedu at 4 a.m.,' she says. First, she takes a breathalyser test, informs the head that she tested negative, and then begins her day. 'I can't step out of the depot without two essentials — my TETRA (Terrestrial Trunked Radio) with which I communicate from the train to the control centre, and a bunch of keys,' she says.
Unlocking the train
Metro Rail trains are state-of-the-art, yet they need to be unlocked with these keys before the train begins its journey for the day. Next, she hops onto the driver's cabin, turns on the light, and walks through the train, and checks all the coaches.
The compact driver cabin wears the look of a large gaming console with colourful buttons, speedometers, and screens. She needs to check every device and then prepare the train. The pressure must build to the right level. After that, she looks into the functioning of everything: the wiper, the opening and closing of the train doors, the braking system, horn, whistle, the passenger announcement system, and the cameras in all coaches.
If all is well, she picks up her TETRA and says: 'Train set ready. Preparation completed. Ready for movement.' Then, the train will be gradually taken by a ramp to the Koyambedu Metro Rail station. And the four-coach train is primed and ready for its first trip at 5 a.m.
Nearly 2.9 lakh people board and alight from these trains at 41 stations across the 54-km network. The stations and the trains bustle with commuters. But there is one place from which Chennai Metro Rail Limited keeps an eye on every station and train — the Operations Control Centre.
Constant monitoring
A giant screen, fitted on top of the massive room, displays lines of varying hues. Scores of computers below this screen lay out similar patterns. This is the signalling system, the backbone of train operations. Manned by numerous vigilant workers, these monitors show the train movement in each section.
To build a foolproof system, in case the Operations Control Centre wriggles under a glitch, seven stations in the phase I network have a mini set-up like this. For instance, from Koyambedu, station controller A. Suresh can manage a bunch of stations, if need be.
'The signalling system presents three colours. While tracks are the yellow lines, the route of the train is indicated in green. A small patch of red that moves along the direction of the green line is the train. So, through this, I can find out whether the trains are moving along their set path or veering off,' he says.
Well deserved promotion
He was a train operator earlier before getting promoted as station controller. Both Punitha and Suresh recount some of the challenges they had encountered and how Chennai Metro Rail became a sort of lifeline for a portion of the city. 'During the 2015 floods, when I was a train operator, I transported people from Koyambedu to Alandur. I vividly remember what people were going through and how we, as a team, tried to take them closer to their kith and kin,' he recalls.
The last three years have been nothing short of fascinating for Ms. Punitha as she drives thousands of people to their destinations every day.
'Even during Cyclone Vardah, when there was barely any other transport service, we managed to carry people safely. We were continuously monitored for our and passengers' safety from the control centre. I think at that time I felt a sense of purpose and was particularly happy that I was a train operator serving and helping the city in some way,' she says.
Vital break
Many wonder why Chennai Metro Rail trains don't run round the clock. The trains run 14 hours a day, from 5 a.m. to 12 a.m., and take a break for maintenance for the next five hours. The downtime is essential for the upkeep of not only the stations but also the trains and the tracks.
'We have a reputation for keeping our trains and stations clean. And that is possible because in those four hours, the trains, stations and tracks endure a rigorous maintenance process to be up and about for the next day's operations at 5 a.m.,' Mr. Suresh notes.