It is likely that the city may not have to wait too much longer for the first service of the Chennai Metro Rail. When the trains zip through this stretch, they will take in and disgorge thousands of people at various junctions. But, commuters will struggle to walk outside the station if there aren’t adequate footpaths and cross facilities.
Officials of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) said there will be skywalks only at Koyambedu and Ashok Nagar stations. “We have made plans only after gauging the necessity of every station. There shouldn’t be any problem,” an official said.
Meanwhile, Highways Department has started laying roads, connecting drains and constructing footpaths at three station points – Arumbakkam, Ashok Pillar and Hilton Hotel – at a total cost of Rs. 3.6 crore. The drains and footpaths will take another month. Also, the Chennai Corporation has begun work on improving the interior roads leading to stations.
But it is not clear if the footpaths and skywalks will be ready by the time Metro Rail is thrown open to the public.
Urban planning experts like Shreya Gadepalli, regional director of Institute for Transportation and Development Policy note that skywalks and subways are not the best ways to cross over. Ideally, commuters would only prefer to cross at the street level. “Across the world, the Metro Rail systems, including those at Hong Kong and Singapore have good street-crossing facility. Public transport must be able to provide first and last mile connectivity,” she added.
A. Veeraraghavan of IIT-Madras noted if there aren’t good footpaths or crossing facilities for pedestrians, we may witness more pedestrian -related accidents.
| Koyambedu | CMBT | Arumbakkam | Vadapalani | Ashok Nagar | Alandur | SIDCO | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of commuters passing by during peak hour: | 18,710* | 24,520 | 28,043 | 18,774 | 19,434 | 11,941 | 20,938 |
| No. of commuters passing by during peak hour: | 6,105 | 4,972 | 4, 481 | 1,759 | 1,540 | 4, 075 | 1,117 |
| Estimated no of people getting off: | 3,347 | 2,675 | 2, 212 | 8,885 | 2,531 | 9,840 | 6, 197 |
| No of entry/exit points: | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| No of lifts: | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
(Source: Chennai Metro Rail Limited *The figures are projections for 2026)
