Chennai: The much touted and awaited site of multi-modal transport in the city, Central Square, will soon have tenders floated for work to begin, CMRL officials said on Friday.
The Central Square would provide users of public transport connectivity to various places at the heart of the city with underground passages and subways connecting people to Ripon Buildings, Park and Park Town, and Central stations, Moore Market Complex building, and RGGGH.
The land opposite MMC building will be given for commercial exploitation and for a bus hub so that buses do not disrupt the flow of traffic during the transit. A series of subways will be built to enhance movement of pedestrians.
“The subway that currently connects Central to RGGGH will be demolished and a new one will be built in its place,” said an official.
Along with the Central Square, a parking space that would accommodate 4000 cars is in the offing. “There will be six levels of underground parking on the Park station side, and seven levels on the MMC side,” VK Singh, Chief general manager (underground construction).
“There will be spaces for eateries and shopping on the metro station at Chennai Central that would span over 100m length and 32m width, which would be in the unpaid area,” he added.
He added that the design phase of the Central Square was complete, and the contract has to be handed to depending on the bids. He added that the main emphasis of the project was to offer seamless movement to people through underground networks, as it is the central point for people traveling via trains, MRTS, and buses.
“This will ensure no or less disruption of the road traffic at Central,” he added.
To harness and use solar power, solar panels will be set up on the surface of walkways and elevated structures. “We plan to use the energy for beautification and lighting purposes at the square,” he added.
With spaces for commercial establishments, CMRL plans to exploit land that wasn’t much useful to the Southern Railway. “Since Chennai Central and the suburban stations don’t make use of vacant spaces, utilizing those when Central Square is ready will be of economic benefit,” an official said.
