Chennai Metro Rail is focusing on improving the condition of pedestrian subways closer to the metro stations. Chennai’s pedestrian subways are set to get better with CMRL planning on renovating them as a part of improving the pedestrian facilities in the city’s metro stations.

As part of this initiative, the pedestrian subways available near Central and Kilpauk Metro stations will soon be having elevators and escalators installed. These subways will also be equipped with better lighting facilities and more such subways are in pipeline for Central Metro station. The plan is to bring the subways up to the standard of metro stations thus improving the footfall in the subways.

The maintenance of the renovated subways including providing staff to operate the new facilities will be the responsibility of the company that will take up the design, manufacture and installation of these utilities in the subways. Tenders have been floated to identify a suitable firm to carry out this project intended on making life easier for the commuters of Chennai Metro.

There are 4 more subways planned at Central Metro Station to connect the four corners of Poonamallee High Road. These subways are expected to divert a significant number of pedestrians off the busy junction. One of the subways in pipeline will connect Chennai Central Railway Station and Rajiv Gandhi Government General hospital and the other will link the hospital to Flower Bazaar road. The facilities in these subways will be powered by Solar energy.

Chennai Metro rail commuters had earlier this month requested Chennai Traffic Police to facilitate talks with authorities about building pedestrian crossings in front of Nanganalllur Metro Station and Alandur Metro Stations. 

Chennai has quite a few subways and foot overbridges across the city, intended to help pedestrians navigate busy stretches, but most of these are currently in bad state with hawkers usurping the stairs and drunk people loitering around.

Featured Image Source: The Hindu