Chennai: After a three-year lull, work on Tambaram pedestrian subway connecting the west side to the east started recently. Commuters can now avoid taking foot overbridge belonging to the Tambaram railway station. However, the pedestrian subway is not completely user friendly.
The subway that connects the East Tambaram side near the railway gate is far from the bus stop here. Also, towards West Tambaram, it connects only to one side of GST Road, leaving no option to the commuters but to cross the busy road.
A commuter, S. Nalini. said, “If the vehicular subway is extended towards the other side of the GST road (towards Guindy), it would benefit many who use the bus stop. It serves only half the purpose.”
When Deccan Chronicle contacted the railway officials, they said, “The proposed subway cannot be extended because that’s the jurisdiction of the state highways department.
Also, there is already a subway touching the West Tambaram railway station to cross the GST road.”
So that means a commuter needs to take two subways to reach West Tambaram bus depot. It would be an ordeal for 75,000 to 1 lakh commuters who cross the foot overbridge at Tambaram railway station on a daily basis.
However, commuters no more need to answer the railway protection force officials who restrict the movement of non-rail passengers on the foot overbridge sometimes.
There can also be an increase in the commuter number, as Tambaram is declared as a third terminal, after Chennai Central and Egmore.
