The mofussil bus terminus in Tambaram Sanatorium inaugurated on Wednesday has contributed partially in easing congestion caused till now by government buses on Grand Southern Trunk (GST) Road in West Tambaram.
Close to 400 bus services — by both the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (Villupuram) and the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC), connecting Kancheepuram, Vellore and even Bengaluru, apart from the extended suburbs around Sriperumbudur originating from Tambaram — till now operated near the intersection of GST Road and Gandhi Road. With the terminus now being made operational, this stretch has become free from congestion.
Further, all city buses towards Guindy would halt at the stop outside the main entrance of the Madras Export Processing Zone – Special Economic Zone, leading to utter chaos in the evening rush hours. This too has been eliminated as city-bound MTC buses enter the terminus, pick up and drop commuters, before getting back on GST Road towards Guindy.
Buses originating from the terminus travel till Chromepet, climb the over-bridge at MIT Gate and take a U-turn before proceeding back towards Tambaram on the way to Sriperumbudur and Kancheepuram. Though this is a circuitous route, they have no other option, transport department staff said.
However, commuters arriving at the terminus are at a loss to get to their buses in the different bays, as proper direction boards, along the lines of the Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus in Koyambedu, are yet to be installed. Tambaram municipality has constructed 30 shops and also created space for a food court, but it is expected to take some more time before traders move in. Transport department staff on duty at the new terminus said that it would take a while for things to settle down before the terminus starts functioning in a full fledged manner.
