All these years, city residents have had to depend on bus or train services that operated in a disjointed manner.
Without proper connectivity, commuters are left at the mercy of autorickshaw drivers who charge exorbitant fares, making personalised modes of transport seem like an economical option.
This has, however, led to the proliferation of two-wheelers and cars and, subsequently, resulted in pollution, crowded roads and steep hike in individual spending due to increasing fuel prices.
All this may change if the proposed integration of public transport systems takes off once Chennai Metro is fully operational. And if the Monorail project chugs ahead, residents from the suburbs in the southern and western corridors will get the much-needed last-mile linkage.
While work on Chennai Metro is progressing fast, the Monorail proposal, a pet project of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s, has remained on paper for three years.
Recently, it received ‘in-principle’ approval from the ministry of urban development.
Two corridors have been selected: one from Poonamallee to Kathipara (21 km), with a route branching off from Porur to Vadapalani, and the other between Vandalur and Velachery (23 km).
Transport experts say the two routes selected for the Monorail project have good commuter potential. A retired official of the Metropolitan Transport Corporation says any public transport project is a welcome thing.
However, the long time gap in executing the project, which will also escalate project cost, will prove to be a drawback, he says.
Even as structural integration of the various transit systems (buses, suburban train services and Mass Rapid Transit System) is expected to take off once Chennai Metro becomes operational, commuter patronage can be guaranteed if a unified ticketing system is put in place.
