CHENNAI: After a foot overbridge (FoB) was opened on Tuesday giving commuters quick entry to Alandur metro station, Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) will add more cabs to its existing fleet to provide commuters with easy access to all metro stations. The FoB built at a cost of Rs 9.7crore on the busy GST Road, nearly five years after the station started operations, was inaugurated by chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami.
A CMRL official said by April they will have about 256 share cabs. The 32 stations of phase-1 will get eight cabs each providing commuters a feeder service for first and last mile connectivity. The cabs will be linked to an existing app where commuters can select one of the pick-up locations given for each station and either pay online or through smart card. “The fleet will be ready in three months. The app-based service will replace other share taxis and share autos,” the official said.
At present, the share cab service is being operated at 16 stations with 32 cars. But commuters complain that the service is erratic and not enough cabs are available, particularly during peak hours.
The FoB has several facilities for an easy and safe access for commuters including four escalators, two elevators, LED lights, CCTV cameras and ramps. The facility links the city’s largest elevated transit hub at Alandur with the air-conditioned bus stop at Asarkhana and the upcoming inter-modal urban square under Kathipara grade separator.
S Bhuvaneshwari from Tambaram was one of the first metro commuters to use the facility soon after it was inaugurated through video conferencing. “It usually takes me 30 minutes to reach the station from Asarkhana bus stop which is on the opposite side of GST Road because I walk all the way upto Kathipara flyover and cross the road. Today, it took me just three minutes,” said Bhuvaneshwari, who takes metro at Alandur to go to her office at CMBT daily.
A CMRL official said by April they will have about 256 share cabs. The 32 stations of phase-1 will get eight cabs each providing commuters a feeder service for first and last mile connectivity. The cabs will be linked to an existing app where commuters can select one of the pick-up locations given for each station and either pay online or through smart card. “The fleet will be ready in three months. The app-based service will replace other share taxis and share autos,” the official said.
At present, the share cab service is being operated at 16 stations with 32 cars. But commuters complain that the service is erratic and not enough cabs are available, particularly during peak hours.
The FoB has several facilities for an easy and safe access for commuters including four escalators, two elevators, LED lights, CCTV cameras and ramps. The facility links the city’s largest elevated transit hub at Alandur with the air-conditioned bus stop at Asarkhana and the upcoming inter-modal urban square under Kathipara grade separator.
S Bhuvaneshwari from Tambaram was one of the first metro commuters to use the facility soon after it was inaugurated through video conferencing. “It usually takes me 30 minutes to reach the station from Asarkhana bus stop which is on the opposite side of GST Road because I walk all the way upto Kathipara flyover and cross the road. Today, it took me just three minutes,” said Bhuvaneshwari, who takes metro at Alandur to go to her office at CMBT daily.
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