Frequency of trains to be increased.
Chennai: With the third broad gauge line between Tambaram and Chengalpattu, a Rs.256 crore project, to become a reality, passengers are upbeat as the new line will save time and increase frequency between main stations of the city and Chengalpattu.
Civil works for the 32-km project had already begun with the railway minister laying the foundation for the new line on February 7.
“The new line will be a boon to regular commuters as it is expected to reduce traffic in the existing zone by 20 to 30 per cent. Also, with five coaches to be introduced in this section, the office hour traffic will reduce considerably,” said a senior engineer in Southern Railway’s construction department.
The stretch where around 1.25 lakh commuters travel on a daily basis with 250 trips in total is also home to nine engineering colleges, Vandalur zoo and
industrial hubs such as Mahindra city and around 20 small and medium industries.
“With the opening of the line in an year’s time, we hope traffic, especially during office hours, to reduce considerably. Also, this will benefit engineering college students and IT professionals working in tech parks,” said V.Santhanam,
social worker and president, Rail users forum, Tambaram.
With nine stations between the two major stations, there are four unmanned level crossings that posed a threat to commuters and public residing near the station.
The third BG line becoming a reality, railways are mulling to construct over bridges to replace the level-crossings.
“As the frequency of trains will increase with the new line becoming operational, we have decided to replace these unmanned level-crossings near Potheri and Paranur,” said a railway electrical engineer based at Tambaram.
The project is expected to be completed by February 2017, railway sources said.
