Commuters fret over parking space at Metro stations

CHENNAI: The lack of enough parking space at many of the Metro railway stations is leaving commuters fretting with many complaining of unexpected delays in reaching the office as it takes them a long time to find a place to park the vehicle before boarding the train.

To save fuel expenditure and to avoid long commutes on two-wheelers, many passengers at various Metro stations leave their vehicles in the parking lot and board the train to work and college. However, a slew of passengers, especially during the peak hours in the morning claim that the parking lot is cramped.

Speaking to DT Next, H Sasikala, an IT professional from Chrompet says, “I take a two-wheeler in the morning and leave it at the Meenambakkam Metro station before boarding the train. However, finding a spot is a tiresome job as the parking lot is almost always cramped up. I have noticed many vehicles gathering dust for weeks in the parking lot, ultimately causing trouble to passengers like me.”

Meanwhile M Harish, a PR professional who takes Alandur Metro every morning has noticed nearby residents leaving their cars and two-wheelers inside the parking lot for weeks to months.

“Though they pay a certain amount to park their vehicle, residents living nearby Metro stations have taken up more space by parking their vehicles. CMRL should keep track of the vehicles parked for a long duration and fine them,” said Harish.

Further Harish also said because one of the gates of the parking lot is always closed, he is forced to take the GST road to park his two-wheeler before boarding the train at Alandur station.

Passengers boarding Metro from Tirumangalam, Meenabakkam, St Thomas Mount, Alandur and Kilpauk reported the lack of parking space.

A CMRL official said the department has been aware of the lack of parking space in the Metro stations through the feedback system.

“Efforts are being taken to see how we can accommodate more vehicles. However, space constraints are a major concern that the department is trying to fix. To bring in more passengers, we will ensure measures at the earliest,” added the official.