CHENNAI: Chennai Metro Rail Limited is pressing ahead with its push to monetise real estate at stations and improve last-mile connectivity along the city’s IT corridor, awarding contracts worth nearly Rs 436 crore for integrated transit-oriented developments at Sholinganallur, Thoraipakkam and Mandavelli bus depot.
CMRL has awarded a Rs 268.8-crore contract for the design and construction of integrated entry and exit structures with commercial space at Sholinganallur and Thoraipakkam, two key stations on the fast-growing Old Mahabalipuram Road stretch. The project combines station access infrastructure with revenue-generating property assets, spanning civil works, architectural finishes and allied activities.
At Thoraipakkam, the plan envisages a commercial building comprising three basement levels, a ground floor and five upper floors. Sholinganallur will see a larger ground-plus-eight-floor commercial complex. A defining feature of the Sholinganallur development is that the link line connecting Corridor-3 and Corridor-5 will pass through the commercial building itself, allowing commuters to access the metro from within the development.
CMRL said the integrated design would enable seamless movement between commercial facilities and the metro, while embedding higher-density development around stations in line with TOD principles.