CHENNAI: Soon, instead of sweating it out at Central Railway Station’s waiting hall before boarding a train, you can relax on a pruned lawn under wooden canopies by a water fountain.
Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) is set to complete a part of the planned renovation involving landscaping and seating area before August.
Work is on in front of Ripon Buildings and Victoria Hall as part of the Central Square project for an intermodal transport facility. The project is expected to provide a seamless link from suburban, MRTS, metro and MTC services to long distance trains and buses.
“We have undertaken landscaping from Raja Muthiah Road up to Central railway station covering Ripon Buildings and Victoria Hall. Renovation up to Victoria Hall should be ready before August. Near Central station, it might take some time,” said a CMRl official. “Once the renovation is completed, the features that we are adding are really going to make the area lively.”
CMRL took over the area in front of Ripon Buildings and Victoria Hall in 2012, during the construction of Central metro underground station and its tunnels.
After the station opened, pedestrians or commuters waiting for a long-distance train or a bus could relax in the outdoor seating area. Motorists could also park vehicles in the underground lot, which is under construction. The three-level parking lot can accommodate nearly 800 cars.
Several other facilities besides landscaping and parking lots have been planned. There will be four pedestrian subways, two of which are already open. The rest are under-construction. The will provide a link from the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital to Central railway station and Evening Bazaar Road.
The highlight of the project, CMRL officials say, will be the Central Plaza building that will soar 31 floors above the ground. It will be surrounded by bus bays and is expected to have passenger amenities, facility for bus crew, commercial space for offices and retail outlets as well as a restaurant on the top most floor with a panoramic view for the visitors.
A CMRL official said contractors were identified and clearances obtained for construction of the building and bus bays. “We will renovate the Rajah Sir Ramasamy Mudaliar Choultry heritage building and convert it into a metro rail museum. But that will happen at a later stage,” he said.