To encourage more people to use the Metro Rail and guide them to the nearest station, Chennai Metro Rail plans to put up signages in areas near the stations.
According to officials of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), they will start a survey to identify the spots where the signages have to be installed.
Stage by stage
“We will fix the signage in about 500 metres around the stations, giving directions to the nearest station. For instance, if one is standing at Vadapalani, there will be a signage showing they are about 400 metres away from the station and as they move closer, it will show 300 metres and so on. This will particularly help those who are new to the city and want to use public transport,” an official said.
At present, a handful of stations such as Koyambedu, Arumbakkam and Ashok Nagar have signages near the stations but they are not well placed or clearly visible from a distance. The new ones may be not be like the existing ones, the official said.
“We plan to put them up in all 32 stations in the 45-km network of phase I project. Also, the new signages will be more prominent and placed in such a way that any commuter will notice it. This is why, we are first carrying out a survey to see the location, instead of just fixing the signages,” the official added.
Inside stations
Chennai Metro Rail has begun putting up additional signages inside stations in the underground network. In stations like the Government Estate, they have already installed signages.
“In the other newly opened stations along Anna Salai and 19 other underground stations too, we are taking stesp to put up signages,” he added.