CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday urged officials of the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA) to ensure hassle-free and safe commuting for school and college students. He also emphasised on the use of technology to make public transport more efficient.
CUMTA special officer I Jaykumar said that based on the directive of the chief minister, CUMTA will be conducting a study to work out solutions for safe and hassle-free commuting. The new website (cumta.tn.gov.in) was also inaugurated during the event. The meeting also focussed on common mobility card and extending of Chennai Metro Rail services from the airport to the new bus terminus in Kilambakkam, Jeyakumar said.
CUMTA will introduce an app-based journey planner and off-board integrated ticketing. It aims to facilitate ticketing for commuters before boarding the transit system. The app will have a journey planner and other sections will provide dynamic information regarding transit operations and operators in Chennai Metropolitan Area. Commuters can purchase tickets for MTC buses, Metro Rail, suburban trains, and MRTS. It will accept payment from all instruments approved by the Reserve Bank of India. The app will be complementary to the existing ticketing system.
The discussion also focussed on the need for extending Corridor I of Metro Rail from the airport to Kilambakkam in Phase II. All the members agreed on the importance of the Metro Rail link to reduce the traffic congestion in Guindy-Tambaram-Perungalathur-Vandalur- Urapakkam sector.
Meanwhile, studies are likely to be taken up for multi-modal integration and feeder routes studies (including route rationalisation studies) connecting the metro stations in Phase I, which has been already commissioned, and Phase II (under construction) of Metro Rail with MTC bus services.
During the meeting, the second amendment to the CUMTA Act was approved by the authority. The new amendment will result in a two-tier structure. The CUMTA will be supported by an executive committee headed by the chief secretary. The executive committee will be responsible for the decisions related to implementation and operations, whereas the authority will be responsible for major policy-level decisions about urban transport in CUMTA jurisdiction.