• The final 3.5-km MRTS stretch between Velachery and St Thomas Mount opened to passengers on Saturday, completing the 23-km Chennai Beach–St Thomas Mount corridor, built at a total cost of ₹1,924 crore. First trains departed both ends at 5 a.m.
• The extension is expected to improve access to commercial hubs for commuters from Nanganallur, Puzhuthivakkam and Adambakkam. It includes two intermediate stations, Puzhuthivakkam and Adambakkam; St Thomas Mount is the terminal and an integrated hub linking MRTS, Chennai Metro and suburban rail.
• Work began in April 2008. Land acquisition disputes over the final 500 metres, involving about 75 houses in Adambakkam and Thillai Ganga Nagar, delayed the project nearly 15 years. Owners challenged compensation under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, seeking compensation under the 2013 land acquisition law. The Madras High Court dismissed 40 petitions in 2019.
• In August 2025, the Ministry of Railways approved transferring MRTS operations to CMRL, a proposal initiated by Tamil Nadu in 2011.

Southern Railway will start MRTS services on the Velachery–St Thomas Mount section from March 10, after an 18-year delay. The five-kilometre extension was held up by land acquisition issues, litigation and metro alignment challenges. It is expected to improve peak-hour connectivity between Tambaram and Chennai Beach via St Thomas Mount, allowing passengers from Chengalpattu, Tambaram and other southwestern suburbs to transfer to MRTS rather than travel towards Chennai Egmore, where delays have increased during redevelopment works.

During the block period, 20 additional bus trips will run from Tambaram to Chennai Beach via the Secretariat from 6.40 am to 9.40 am, at seven-minute intervals; 20 return trips will run from 5 pm to 8 pm. Stops include Tambaram Sanatorium, Chromepet, Pallavaram, Tirusulam, Guindy, Ezhilagam, the Secretariat and Broadway. Valid railway tickets and season passes will be accepted without extra fare. Five 15-car local trains will also operate on fast lines between Tambaram and Chennai Beach during peak hours, stopping at Mambalam, Guindy, Chennai Egmore and Chennai Beach.

The Madras High Court dismissed St. Peter’s Matriculation Higher Secondary School’s challenge to the State government’s June 10, 2025 refusal to stop eviction proceedings or assign the 2.14 acres on GST Road in St. Thomas Mount to the school. The government says the land is needed for government offices; it may invoke the Tamil Nadu Land Encroachment Act, 1905, to evict unauthorised occupants.

The East India Company first leased the land in 1802 to Krishnaswamy Chetty and Govindarajulu Chetty for 50 years. Two equal-term extensions ended in 1952. Leasehold rights were transferred to Hilal Karim for ₹6,500 in a deed dated April 2, 1932. In 1952, the government granted him a 30-year extension at an annual premium of ₹1,027.80, subject to the Cantonment (Housing Accommodation) Act, 1923. The lease expired October 31, 1982; the property had been subleased to Dr. Ms. Cornelius. Lease terms restricted use to a dwelling house, but the property was used as a school without required sanction. A government resumption order was issued April 28, 1977; litigation and court stays delayed eviction.