Chennai Metro Rail commuters, who enjoy a smooth ride beating the traffic jams, have complained that they have to spend a long time in queue to park their vehicles at Alandur and Thirumangalam stations, especially during peak hours.
During weekdays, about 1.80 lakh passengers take the Chennai Metro Rail. While some walk to the station, many take their bikes or cars. A few even hail autorickshaws to reach the station or ask a relative to drop them.
Karthikeyan V., a regular Metro commuter, posted his complaint on Twitter. “@cmrlofficial Time saved in metro transit shall be lost if parking system is not changed to accommodate increasing volume. At times, I spend more time in parking than the transit time itself #alandur #thirumangalam.”
While nearly 9,000 passengers use Thirumangalam station, 6,000 people pass through Alandur Metro station. Sources said that during rush hours, there is bound to be delay in collecting the token while parking vehicles.
According to officials of Chennai Metro Rail Ltd. (CMRL), such situations are rare and parking lots are well-managed at all stations.
“These two stations have a high footfall and during the peak hours, the commuters may have to wait for a few extra minutes. There is no congestion. We have deployed additional staff in these two stations to manage the crowd,” an official said.
