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The Hindu
5 days ago
- Automotive
- The Hindu
Chennai: Longer waiting time to park or exit vehicles in Metro Rail stations
Parking vehicles in the morning or taking it out in the evening during peak hours, commuters endure a bit of a hassle in some of the Chennai Metro Rail stations. Chennai Metro Rail network sprawls to 54 km currently handles nearly 2.8 lakh passengers on an average every day. A significant number of commuters resort to driving to the stations by two-wheelers or four wheelers and then hop onto the train due to absence of last mile connectivity options. Recently, in a few stations including Koyambedu, Thirumangalam, Airport and Alandur, congestion near the parking was noticed and commuters had to wait in queue for a while entering or exiting the parking lot, thus causing inconvenience. Manoharan Nambiar, a resident of Thirumangalam said, 'The payment machine in the parking lot takes a while to read the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) for some commuters. As a result, there is bunching of vehicles which are either waiting to enter the station or exit in the evening during the peak hours. I have got caught in the queue on quite a few occasions and have had to wait to exit the Thirumangalam Metro Rail station parking lot in the evening. I hope the authorities provide additional machines to ease congestion.' Also, for some of the commuters, when they exit, the time of entry doesn't reflect in the payment machine. For a few, though they have exited, the machine indicates that the vehicle still lies within the parking lot. According to officials of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), the issue has been occurring recently, and they have already taken steps to resolve it. 'The payment device has a sim card with which there are data synchronisation issues. We have already raised with SBI and Airtel and it will be sorted out within a few days,' an official said. Sources said, there is dearth of manpower to oversee the parking related issues and that CMRL should hire additional staff. This will help in addressing the issue quickly.
The Hindu
09-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Chennai Metro Rail to build leisure facilities, workplaces at Phase II's Thirumangalam station
Like Kokura Station in Japan or Chongqing in China, Thirumangalam station will emerge as a place where people can shop, dine, or work on one floor and then catch a ride on the Chennai Metro Rail network on another. In a couple of months, Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) will start the construction of four towers in Thirumangalam. According to CMRL officials, they have floated bids for the massive project, which is located opposite to the Anna Nagar West Depot, near the Phase I Thirumangalam Metro station. Sprawling over 3.85 acres, the project will comprise the Phase II Thirumangalam Metro station and four towers. While Towers A and C will have three basements, a ground floor, and nine upper floors, the station will be in Tower B, which will have a ground floor and nine upper floors. Tower D will have a ground floor and two upper floors. In Tower B, the third floor will have the concourse and the platforms will be on the fourth floor. While ground floors will have retail and convenience stores in Towers A, B, and C, the first and second floors have been earmarked for commercial development similar to malls, and floors five to nine will have dedicated office spaces. T. Archunan, Director (projects), CMRL, said they drew inspiration from mass rapid transit systems in Japan. 'Kokura Station is a classic example for transit-oriented development. Based on the land availability, we are taking efforts to incorporate this strategy in as many locations as possible. But Thirumangalam will stand out as a great example for transit-oriented development since trains pass through buildings, making the commute seamless for people. All they have to do is switch floors to take the train,' he added. Manoharan Nambiar of Thirumangalam said that since there were apartments, a mall, and business establishments, the area suffered from traffic congestion both on weekdays and during weekends. 'Hence, two Metro Rail stations in Thirumangalam is a great boon to commuters. If commercial development and office spaces are planned alongside a mass rapid transport, it substantially improves mobility and does not add to congestion on the road,' he said. A. Shankar, India Head, Government Advisory and Infrastructure Solutions, Jones Lang LaSalle Property Consultants, said Metro systems across the world were being developed from the perspective of transit-oriented development. 'At a time when there is a great demand for office spaces, building them in the same tower with a Metro Rail system will be a great way to do it. Companies will prefer it and take them since they don't have to spend on providing transport for their workers,' he added. Sangami Nagarajan, an urban planner, said mix-use development always worked and would significantly aid in gradually nudging people to shift public transport in the future. 'Integrated development such as this are baby steps that will ensure that more people prefer public transport,' she added. 'Take for instance, the malls in the city. The one in Vadapalani has Metro Rail access, whereas the one in Velachery does not. Hence, the pressure on parking space is manyfold in the latter's case. Also, when stations are located close to the workplace or within the same tower, patronage for the transit system will be high, since people will readily opt for taking trains instead of their vehicles,' Ms. Nagarajan said.
The Hindu
09-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Chennai Metro Rail Limited to incorporate leisure facilities, workplaces at Phase II's Thirumangalam station
Like Kokura Station in Japan or Chongqing in China, Thirumangalam station will emerge as a place where people can shop, dine, or work on one floor and then catch a ride on the Chennai Metro Rail network on another. In a couple of months, Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) will start the construction of four towers in Thirumangalam. According to CMRL officials, they have floated bids for the massive project, which is located opposite to the Anna Nagar West Depot, near the Phase I Thirumangalam Metro station. Sprawling over 3.85 acres, the project will comprise the Phase II Thirumangalam Metro station and four towers. While Towers A and C will have three basements, a ground floor, and nine upper floors, the station will be in Tower B, which will have a ground floor and nine upper floors. Tower D will have a ground floor and two upper floors. In Tower B, the third floor will have the concourse and the platforms will be on the fourth floor. While ground floors will have retail and convenience stores in Towers A, B, and C, the first and second floors have been earmarked for commercial development similar to malls, and floors five to nine will have dedicated office spaces. T. Archunan, Director (projects), CMRL, said they drew inspiration from mass rapid transit systems in Japan. 'Kokura Station is a classic example for transit-oriented development. Based on the land availability, we are taking efforts to incorporate this strategy in as many locations as possible. But Thirumangalam will stand out as a great example for transit-oriented development since trains pass through buildings, making the commute seamless for people. All they have to do is switch floors to take the train,' he added. Manoharan Nambiar of Thirumangalam said that since there were apartments, a mall, and business establishments, the area suffered from traffic congestion both on weekdays and during weekends. 'Hence, two Metro Rail stations in Thirumangalam is a great boon to commuters. If commercial development and office spaces are planned alongside a mass rapid transport, it substantially improves mobility and does not add to congestion on the road,' he said. A. Shankar, India Head, Government Advisory and Infrastructure Solutions, Jones Lang LaSalle Property Consultants, said Metro systems across the world were being developed from the perspective of transit-oriented development. 'At a time when there is a great demand for office spaces, building them in the same tower with a Metro Rail system will be a great way to do it. Companies will prefer it and take them since they don't have to spend on providing transport for their workers,' he added. Sangami Nagarajan, an urban planner, said mix-use development always worked and would significantly aid in gradually nudging people to shift public transport in the future. 'Integrated development such as this are baby steps that will ensure that more people prefer public transport,' she added. 'Take for instance, the malls in the city. The one in Vadapalani has Metro Rail access, whereas the one in Velachery does not. Hence, the pressure on parking space is manyfold in the latter's case. Also, when stations are located close to the workplace or within the same tower, patronage for the transit system will be high, since people will readily opt for taking trains instead of their vehicles,' Ms. Nagarajan said.
