Two years ago, thousands of commuters heaved a sigh of relief when Metro Rail began share autorickshaw and car services from several stations. But today, a commuter has to pay more for an autoriskshaw, walk or wait to take a bus to reach the nearest station as there are no last-mile connectivity options after services resumed post lockdown.
Though the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) has tied up with Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) to run mini-bus services, it will be available at just four stations — Wimco Nagar, Chennai Airport, Koyambedu and Alandur. While a section of commuters is looking forward to this facility, others are disappointed that it was not extended to all stations.
The Metro has nearly 1.10 lakh passengers travelling on an average during weekdays, and Chennai Central witnesses the most number of passengers, with a daily average of 9,000. Thirumangalam, High Court and Guindy are the next popular stations, each with 5,000 people. Yet, none of these was included in the list of stations to get the mini-bus feeder services. Thirumangalam station, for instance, helps hundreds of passengers who come from areas like Padi, Mogappair and even Ambattur.
S. Venkatesan of the Elango Nagar Residents’ Welfare Association, Padi, said, “If they run a dedicated mini-bus service from Thirumangalam to Collector Nagar, Elango Nagar bus terminus, DAV School and Mogappair East and West, commuters can get a hassle-free ride to the station.”
“While the system has been maintained well and has been gradually picking up over the years, it will not make much sense for a public transport to exist without integrating it with other modes, and giving options of first- and last-mile connectivity like mini-buses or share autorickshaws. Mini-buses can run trips every 15 minutes, and the number of people travelling through the Metro will exponentially increase because many travel to Parrys Corner and Chennai Airport,” he said.
S. Ravichandran, a resident of Ambattur, said it would help if last-mile connectivity was extended till Ambattur. People without a private vehicle had to take autorickshaws to reach Thirumangalam Metro station. “Travelling to the airport and Parrys Corner is time consuming because of traffic congestion; that is one of the primary reasons many prefer travelling by the Metro. In six years since the service started, Ambattur has not been covered for the last-mile connectivity,” he added.
Similarly, those in south Chennai, residing in areas like Adyar and Thiruvanmiyur, said Little Mount was the closest station to them, and requested CMRL to operate mini-bus services.
Residents said since the construction of Metro’s phase II project would soon begin in south Chennai, they would have to grapple with congestion every single day.
“These mini-buses should operate every 15 minutes so that people who disembark from the trains do not have to wait for long to catch one,” said K. Subramanian, a resident.
