CHENNAI: Passenger pick up and drop facility at Chennai Central will soon be made more convenient, as Southern Railways has started work on a new taxi bay. Access to Central, the city’s main railway terminus, is considered difficult as there is often a traffic logjam at entry and exit points, especially during peak hours.
There are two ways for passengers to be picked up and dropped off. While one is through the Madras Moore Market Complex entry gate, the other is through Gate No 1, near Wall Tax Road.
However, in recent months, private vehicles have not been allowed entry through the latter, and have had to wait outside the gate, for both pick up an drop.
With cabs one behind the other, traffic flow is often affected on this stretch. Railways officials hope to address this issue by constructing a new taxi bay, which will have its entry through Gate No 1.
Speaking to Express, a divisional railway official said, “We have commenced work on the taxi bay. It’ll come up near Gate No 1 on Wall Tax Road.”
He expressed confidence that the facility, to be ready in a month’s time, will benefit passengers as well as help in managing vehicle movement.
The new bay will allow private cars, including those belonging to app-based companies like Uber and Ola, to enter the station and quickly drop off or pick up passengers. While there would be no charges for using the facility, officials said steps would be taken to ensure no vehicle stays on for more than a few minutes.
“There would be one entry gate, where cabs will enter and then exit through another gate. The total length would be around 100 metres,” the official said.
The site for the proposed taxi bay is currently used by railway employees to park their vehicles, besides serving as entrance for postal vehicles to drop the articles at Railway Mail Service office (RMS).
Incidentally, The RMS office was recently shifted to another location near Madras Moore Market Complex station, and has faced issues of its own.