The Hindu 10.06.2010
Bus terminus near Velachery station
R.Srikanth
| Work on the 10.87-acre facility is expected to be completed by January |
NEW FACILITY: Work is in progress to develop a bus terminus near the Velachery MRTS station.
CHENNAI: Southern Railway is developing a bus terminus for the Metropolitan Transport Corporation adjacent to the Velachery Mass Rapid Transit System station.
Work on the over 10.87-acre facility is expected to be completed by January. As the site, on the southern side of the station, remains under water for months after heavy rain during monsoon, the level is being raised by about three feet with sand and debris.
The flooring of the terminus would be a combination of concrete and black-topping. Stormwater drain would be provided along the perimeter of the terminus to prevent water stagnation, said R. Ramanathan, Chief Administrative Officer (Construction), Southern Railway.
The work began around four months ago and ARSS Infrastructure Project Ltd was executing the Rs.8-crore project.
Regarding access road to the bus terminus, Mr. Ramanathan said that at present a 40-foot-wide road developed for undertaking various MRTS work would be available. He said: “We have also requested the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) to acquire the land where a timber depot is now located so that a dedicated road to the terminus could also be created.”
The MTC, however, does not seem to be aware of the project, possibly because it is being implemented by the Southern Railway on the recommendations of the CMDA, which is the nodal agency for the MRTS project.
A senior official of MTC said he was not aware about such a project, but the transport corporation would not have any objection to shifting its existing bus terminus from the congested Vijay Nagar junction to the new location.
A total of 522 services were being operated with 87 buses from the Vijay Nagar bus terminus. Similarly twice that number of services passes through the terminus.
The biggest in city
On commissioning, the terminus near the MRTS station would be the biggest in the city and contribute significantly to decongesting the traffic around the Vijay Nagar junction.
The bus terminus project is part of the initiatives to promote inter-modal transport.
The Southern Railway has provided space for bus stops at important railway stations in the city, including Chennai Central, Egmore and Chindatripet.
