By the end of next year, commuters may get the first glimpse of one stretch of the 116-km phase II project that Chennai Metro Rail Limited has been building for the past few years. Similar to the phase I network wherein stretches were launched one after another over a period of time, the phase II network will also be opened in phases.
Though all the three corridors of the project — Madhavaram to SIPCOT (corridor 3), Light House to Poonamallee (corridor 4), and Madhavaram to Sholinganallur (corridor 5) — are being constructed, the first stretch to become operational will be the 10-km line from Poonamallee to Porur (a part of corridor 4). The stations which are constructed in this line include Poonamallee Bypass, Poonamallee, Mullaithottam, Karayanchavadi, Kumananchavadi, Kattupakkam, Iyyapanthangal, Thelliagaram, Porur Bypass, and Porur Junction.
Driverless trains, compact stations
Commuters may be eager to travel on driverless trains and through compact stations of the phase II network. But the first stretch of the phase II network to be opened — Poonamallee to Porur — does not have any connectivity to the phase I network, leaving commuters wondering how they will benefit from it.
The original plan was to launch a longer stretch, from Poonamallee to Power House at Kodambakkam through Vadapalani. If this is implemented, there is a station, at Vadapalani, in the phase I as well as phase II networks, and it will allow commuters to switch lines to travel to various locations.
CMRL officials say they are continuing their efforts to operate the stretch from Poonamallee to Power House through Porur and Vadapalani. But, sources say, it is very unlikely to have the Porur-Power House stretch ready by the end of 2025, and it could take six more months.
If the Poonamallee-Porur line is opened initially, the foremost thing that CMRL must do is to plan for shuttle services to the phase I network stations and also to neighbouring locations to ensure that a wider section of people uses Metro Rail, say commuters.
Share-autos required
R. Muralikrishnan, a frequent Metro Rail commuter, says, “There should be share-autos or tempo travellers operating between stations like Vadapalani and Ashok Nagar (of phase I) to the Porur station (of phase II). This will allow the commuters to travel easily to Porur to catch a train. If they don’t implement this link, people from the central areas of the city cannot use this network.”
According to Smritika Srinivasan, an urban planner, “It is important that CMRL carries out a study to understand which section and profile of passengers travels from the core areas of the city to areas between Poonamallee and Porur. This will help it provide last-mile connectivity like mini-buses or shuttle services between the phase II and phase I stations.”
“For instance, the study will help CMRL know from which stations in the phase I network they have to operate shuttle services to the Porur station. Also, before CMRL opens the stretch from Poonamallee to Porur, it must ensure that the footpath along the stretch is wide and in good condition without encroachment or obstacles. This will allow commuters to walk comfortably to the nearby bus stations,” she notes.
Besides, there should be last-mile connectivity from the Poonamallee Metro Rail station to the neighbouring areas like Thirumazhisai, Nazarathpet, and Kuthambakkam, says a CMRL official. There are a few engineering colleges located in a distance of 5-7 km and an amusement park. If CMRL establishes a last-mile link from its Poonamallee station to these areas, it can draw more commuters in the initial stage, he reasons.
Shuttle services
“At peak hours, the areas between Poonamallee and Porur suffer from a lot of traffic congestion. Hence, if we operate shuttle services at the time of opening, we can get ridership. Also, there will be a bus stand at Kuthambakkam; we could also run a shuttle service to it...,” he points out.
Ideally, CMRL should have planned to open a stretch of the phase II network, whose stations are linked or located close to the phase I network stations; be it Alandur, Vadapalani, Thousand Lights, Nandanam, or Koyambedu, Ms. Srinivasan says.
“If there is no connectivity to the existing phase I network, neither will commuters benefit from the system nor will CMRL have adequate ridership. Instead of opening the line up to Porur, it can wait and launch the service after completing the work till Vadapalani. Or, they could choose a more congested stretch, like OMR, which would have been of great help in easy mobility for commuters,” she says.
Published - June 05, 2024 12:33 am IST
