Chennai: Lack of subways irks commuters

Chennai: The absence of a subway and a Foot-Over-Bridge (FOB) in the arterial localities of South Chennai is acting as a deterrent to the public mode of transportation. As these projects are facing technical difficulties for commencement, regular commuters are put in a spot.

While the prominent AJS Nidhi school subway project connecting St Thomas Mount suburban railway station to the educational hub of Adambakkam has been stopped, there seems to be no roadmap to construct a subway or an FOB at the St Thomas Mount Metro Rail station.

As Chennai Metro Water objected, work on the Nidhi subway project came to an end. The absence of the facility is forcing people to walk a distance of one kilometre or risk crossing the dividers to reach Adambakkam.

“As auto drivers ask for exorbitant prices, people risk their lives by crossing the dividers. A subway or a foot-over-bridge is the need of the hour,” said S. Shalini, a daily commuter. The fact that many students use the dividers to reach the schools in Adambakkam explains the intensity of the risk.

On the other hand, the newly inaugurated St Thomas Mount Metro station requires a subway or a foot over bridge, in order to facilitate commuters to reach the MTC bus stop on the opposite side of the GST Road.  Commuters from the metro station walk for long distances, crossing the dividers amid the speeding vehicles on the highway.

K Saravanan, an auto driver parked outside the St Thomas Mount metro, says, “Many people who use Metro choose bus to go to nearby areas. To reach the bus stop, they cross the road by jumping the divider and are hit by over-speeding vehicles. I witness accidents every now and then.”

Greater Chennai Corporation officials said they have to examine the locality to build a subway or FOB. “As there is a vehicular subway in a half a km distance, we are unsure of how feasible the project is,” he added.