Title - Train stations...

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On the MRTS stretch, Greenways Road, Kotturpuram and Chepauk stations present a similar picture with bus stops not being well connected to MRTS.On the suburban line, residents of Pazhavanthangal, Tambaram Sanatorium are tired of making representations. MRTS Velachery is a boon to hundreds of commuters as it has reduced dependence on MTC service, but connectivity to neighbourhood such as Pallikaranai, Madipakkam, Adambakkam and Nanganallur remains poor. S. Vijayabhaskar, a resident of Vijaya Nagar, Velachery, recalls bus services that plied from Chindadripet to various localities. They, however, where discontinued once the MRTS station was opened. “Feeder services are essential and it is unfortunate that the MTC withdrew its services from the Chintadripet station because of poor usage within a short duration,” he says. At present, there are a few services from Velachery railway station on route number D70 (Ambattur Industrial Estate-Velachery R.S.), he adds.

Though the MRTS corridor is a failure on some counts, it offers important lessons for upcoming transports systems such as Metro Rail and Mono Rail on the need to provide infrastructure like ramps, skywalks, nearby bus stops and pedestrians walkways. Will mini buses provide some solution? It is what many residents are pinning their hopes on. “For long, there has been no connectivity for residents of Nanganallur. Commuters spend a minimum of Rs.50 per trip to reach Velachery, St. Thomas Mount and Pazhavanthangal stations,” says V. Rama Rao, secretary, Lakshmi Nagar Civic Welfare Association, Nanganallur. He says that Velachery and Pazhavanthangal stations should be connected with mini-buses as envisaged. At present, there are only a few buses for Nanganallur residents such as 52-L High Court-Nanganallur, M18-C T. Nagar-Keelkattalai and M1-Extn Kanathur-Nanganallur. While 52-L is ‘most infrequent,’ the other services are ‘unreliable’ too.

L. Sundararaman, president of Chitlapakkam Muthulakshmi Nagar Welfare Association, has made many representations to authorities to have inter-modal connectivity from Tambaram Sanatorium railway station to Chitlapakkam and Velachery Main Road. “In the absence of connectivity, thousands of commuters from Chitlapakkam depend on private vehicles to reach the railway station,” he says.

At a recent meeting held at Chitlapakkam, South Chennai, MP C. Rajendran and Animal Husbandry Minister T.K.M. Chinnaiya assured residents to consider operating mini buses in their locality once the State Government gives the final nod.