by P. Mahesh, Divisional Railway Manager, Chennai division. Proposal of Amma Unavagams at MRTS stations In October 2013, there are plans to open Amma Unavagams, the subsidised canteens run by the Tamil Nadu government, in the huge empty space of MRTS stations. Commercial exploitation of the space in MRTS stations is not a new idea. However, over the years, many projects have failed to take off. Some years ago, CMDA had proposed the exploitation of space in nine stations across 11.16 km of the second phase of MRTS. Operations Hours of operation and frequencies The route length between Chennai Beach and Velachery is , with an average speed of , with the current journey time has been 45 minutes. The first train departs from Chennai Beach at 4:15 am, and the last one departs at 9:35 pm. From Velachery, the first train departs at 5:00 am to Chennai beach, with the last train departing Velachery at 10:20 pm. On Sundays, a total of 51 trips are operated. In the peak hours, nine-car trains are used, while six-car trains are operated during the remaining time. Nine-car rakes were introduced in 2008. All services, on the MRTS, were upgraded to 9 cars from Aug-2015 onwards. Two additional services promised in 2012 Railway Budget were introduced only in July 2013. Extension In July 2016, the Southern Railway extended suburban electric multiple unit (EMU) services from the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) section to Tiruvallur and Gummidipoondi, and later to Arakkonam. Patronage The line currently transports less than 25 percent of its projected passenger capacity. The MRTS experiences a ridership of 78,000 commuters during weekdays and Saturdays. However, there has been a ridership increase from approximately 25,000 people in 2000 and 66,518 people in 2008. Incidentally, when the MRTS was extended up to Velachery in 2007, it saw a three-fold increase in the revenue. As of July 2015 the ridership is at 100,000 commuters a day. Commuters point out that the MRTS services could see higher patronage if the railway stations have better bus connectivity, proper maintenance and enough lighting and security. Of the system's 18 stations, Chennai Park Town, Thirumayilai, Thiruvanmiyur and Velachery account for nearly 40 percent of the ridership. In a measure to increase patronage, the MRTS had adopted several schemes to draw potential passengers. As the route passes close to some of the most famous temples of Chennai, the MRTS