CHENNAI: Radha Nagar railway subway project at LC-27 in Chromepet, a long-standing demand of residents, has entered its final phase, and is set to be opened to the public on January 7 by Deputy Chief Minister Udhaynidhi Stalin.
The level crossing at Radha Nagar, used daily by over 1 lakh commuters, has for decades been a traffic choke point. Whenever the gates are closed, vehicles queue up on Radha Nagar Main Road and GST Road, often leading to delays and accidents.
The project was originally launched in 2010 during the DMK regime under former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi and when the incumbent Pallavaram MLA I Karunanidhi was the chairman of Pallavaram municipality.
Though the railway portion of the work was completed, the project made no progress for about a decade during the AIADMK rule. Following a petition by MLA Karunanidhi, the court ordered to resume the work, leading to the floating of a Rs 17-crore tender in 2019. However, the work progressed at a snail’s pace until 2021, when the incumbent government reviewed and expedited the project.
Now the work on the 250-metre-long, seven-metre-wide subway has been completed. A three-metre-wide pedestrian pathway also provides residents with direct access to the Chromepet railway station and ticket counters from both the eastern and western sides. For the first time, buses will be able to drop passengers near the railway platform, enabling them to walk directly into the station.
Meanwhile, after coming to know about the objections raised by the traffic police of Tambaram commissionerate and Southern Railway over opening the subway for two-way traffic due to the potential traffic congestion on the GST Road, a section of residents from Radha Nagar approached MLA Karunanidhi and Tambaram corporation. Following the intervention of the of MLA, according to reliable sources, the Southern Railway agreed to open the subway for two-way traffic from Radha Nagar to GST road and vice-versa.
To ensure two-way traffic, an additional 70-metre stretch of railway land has been acquired, while the bus stand on GST Road is being shifted five metres closer to the railway platform to create space for four-wheeler movement.
A resident of Radha Nagar, TN Ashokan, told TNIE,”This subway has been the dream of Radha Nagar residents for decades. Authorities should ensure two-way traffic in the subway at least for light vehicles, and to ensure free flow of vehicles a traffic personnel should be posted.”
He further added that steps should be taken to ensure the passengers directly reach the station platform from the subway, as the subway and platforms are connected at Meenambakkam, Tirisulam, Palavanthangal and other stations. “A ticket counter should be opened on the platform itself to help elderly commuters,” he added.