Passenger amenities pending at Central Metro Rail station

Work on some passenger amenities needs to be completed at Chennai Central Metro Rail station, said a senior official of Commissioner of Rail Safety (CMRS), after inspecting the station.

The CMRS, whose approval is final and mandatory to start operations, visited the underground stretch from Nehru Park to Chennai Central on Monday and Tuesday.

Speaking to

The Hindu , the official said, “They have to complete the construction of entry/exit of Chennai Central Metro Rail station and other passenger amenities like staircases. They have employed a lot of people and told us that they will finish this work in a week.”

The CMRS carried out an extensive inspection in Chennai Egmore and Chennai Central Metro Rail stations and looked at all facilities available for passengers, functioning of various systems like tunnel ventilation system and fire fighting system. “The other systems and track between the stations are fine,” he said.

The CMRL plans to open only one entry/exit to the Chennai Central station, the largest underground station in the city, for the first few months as construction is still incomplete.

“Only the entry/exit adjacent to Park Station will be opened,” said an official. This means commuters will have to cross the road or use the subway to reach Metro station. Commuters will have access to all the four entry/exit points in a few months, he added.

The Chennai Central Metro Rail station spreads over 70,000 sq.m with two levels — one for trains coming from Nehru Park and the other from Washermanpet. Only the level that will have trains from Nehru Park will be open to public in two weeks. The other level will be available after a year.

On Friday and Saturday, the CMRS officials will inspect another underground stretch — Saidapet to AG-DMS. Expecting the the CMRS approval within a week, the CMRL plans to start operations in both these stretches in two weeks.