CMRL revises parking price at St Thomas Mount Metro station

CHENNAI: The Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) on Tuesday increased the parking tariff at St Thomas Mount Metro station. The price of four-wheeler parking has been increased to Rs 3,000 per month from Rs 2,000 and two-wheeler parking price is raised to Rs 400 per month from Rs 250.

Meanwhile, CMRL claimed that they revised the parking price after Southern Railways hiked the parking rate for the Suburban Mount station from Rs 250 to Rs 450.

According to a circular, for four-wheelers, the tariff has been increased to Rs 20 for six hours or less, Rs 30 for 6-12 hours, Rs 40 for more than 12 hours, Rs 100 for parking beyond service hours and Rs 3,000 for monthly parking. Subsequently, for two-wheelers the price has been raised to Rs 400 per month, while for other timings, the tariff is kept below Rs 50.

But, Sarath Kumar, a PR professional working at Teynampet had to face an ordeal on September 19, when his four-wheeler monthly pass expired.

“With new tariff set to be revised from Wednesday, I was told to buy a one-day pass for Rs 150. When I refused to do so, I was made to wait for nearly an hour. Lastly, after much discussion, I was issued a Rs 2,000 monthly pass,” said Sarath.

Sarath continued to say that increasing the parking price will be a huge hit for Metro commuters in the city. “Parking rate of Rs 3,000 and travel expenses will cost me the same as commuting through my private vehicle. This will definitely be a burden for many, especially regular Metro commuters,” added Sarath.

But, CMRL sources claimed that they had to revise the price after Southern Railways surged the tariff.