A trip from Madhavaram to SIPCOT — a distance of 44 km — would require a commuter to spend at least an hour and a half in today’s traffic. But travel times on this stretch are likely to decline drastically when phase II of the Chennai Metro Rail, covering 108 km of the city, becomes operational in the near future. Having received the nod from the State government, the project has now gone to the Centre for approval, and officials are hopeful it will be received soon.
This project has been designed with a station for every kilometre and is also integrated with various modes of transport, including bus services, MRTS and the suburban rail network.
Apart from this, the phase I and phase II projects criss-cross at various junctions in the city, which will enable commuters to switch from one line to another effortlessly. For instance, the three corridors in phase II meet at Madhavaram, KMC, Thirumayilai, and Sholinganallur while the corridors in phase II meet phase I at Nandanam, CMBT, Alandur, Vadapalani and St. Thomas Mount.
According to officials of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), the locations of the stations are very close to bus stations so that commuters can effortlessly change modes of transport. “The bus stops at various locations, including CMBT, Anna Nagar West depot, Mandaveli, Adyar depot and various other points, are just a few metres away from the stations. Similarly, we have integrated Metro Rail with suburban and MRTS rail networks at Chetpet, Kodambakkam, St. Thomas Mount, Thirumayilai and Thiruvanmiyur respectively,” an official said.
Unlike phase I, where nearly half of the project was on an elevated stretch and the remaining underground, in phase II, about 80 km runs underground. This means the cost also increases substantially. But one of the major reasons for choosing to take the underground path, officials say, was to reduce the amount of land that has to be acquired for the project. “Land acquisition is not only time consuming but also involves lots of other issues. Hence, we decided to take the stretch under the ground”
Experts say this is a good idea but needs effective public consultation before it begins to avoid any legal hassles. N. S. Srinivasan, former director of National Transportation Planning and Research Centre said: “The challenge is to complete the project on time. Only then will it be of use. Officials should also bring in a common ticketing system soon.”
