Chennai: Taking the metro from airport to other places doesn’t feel as easy as it is made to sound due to many reasons. Foremost, the metro journey is marred by lack of connecting transport to metro stations, making people use autos that charge a killing to reach stations.
The lack of frequent direct services between the bus terminus at CMBT and the airport only adds to the issues. Currently, commuters have to change trains at Alandur to travel between the airport and CMBT as the direct metro services are present only once every hour.
“I landed this morning at the airport and was surprised at the amount of distance I had to walk lugging my bags. What is the whole point of having a metro station to ease transport for flyers when there is no easy connectivity with the airport terminals,” said Lavanya Hariharan. “I would rather take a cab.”
Commuters in the areas around St Thomas Mount, Nanganallur and Thirusulam who have for long faced the lack of bus connectivity, have been demanding feeder services to metro stations but now problems persist in reaching the metro stations.
“The metro takes the same route as that of city buses, and a lack of buses is something that plagues most of us. We have to take autos to reach the metro stations, which add to the cost. The metro rides should be connecting interior areas where bus and autos are not available,” said V. Rama Rao, a resident of Nanganallur.
Metro officials said that talks are on with MTC officials to provide small buses like those in Ashok Nagar and Arumbakkam areas to connect people with metro stations.
“As of now, the direct services are only once in an hour. At some time, we may make the connectivity direct depending on the need of consumers and patronage,” the official added.
