Industries Complain Of Difficulty In Taking Goods To Port In Heavy Traffic
V Ayyappan & T K Rohit | TNN
Sept 22, 2008
Chennai: The long pending proposal for a rail link between Sriperumbudur and Avadi might be implemented in a new form, as an extended Metro Rail corridor. The authorities are discussing this possibility before a feasibility report can be prepared.
According to sources, the state put forward the suggestion to take Metro Rail to Sriperumbudur at a recent meeting held with Metro Rail officials and Southern Railway. The idea is to have an arm connecting Sriperumbudur with corridor II of Metro Rail that passes through Thirumagalam, Koyambedu and Anna Nagar East. If Metro Rail agrees, the railways would have to withdraw the Sriperumbudur-Avadi proposal as it would then amount to duplication. The railways had similarly withdrawn the St Thomas Mount-Koyambedu-Anna Nagar link of the MRTS since Metro Rail will cover the same areas.
Meanwhile the proposed Avadi-Sriperumbudur new railway line has already run into rough weather because the state has expressed its
inability to part-fund the project and also informed the railways that land acquisition would be troublesome and expensive because of lack of space. So, the railways have asked the state government to convene a meeting with industries to look at the possibility of getting industry funding.
However, the railways have also decided to connect Sriperumbudur either to Tambaram, Guduvancheri or Kancheepuram so that the manufacturing hub can be linked to the rail network. A re-survey will be done to finalise the line alignment, railway sources said. But, that too will have to be built using part-funding from state government or industries because railways would not be in a position to execute the project, southern railway
However, the railways have also decided to connect Sriperumbudur either to Tambaram, Guduvancheri or Kancheepuram so that the manufacturing hub can be linked to the rail network. A re-survey will be done to finalise the line alignment, railway sources said. But, that too will have to be built using part-funding from state government or industries because railways would not be in a position to execute the project, southern railway
chief public relations officer Neenu Ittyerah.
The proposal was first mooted when industries, which have a big presence in Sriperumbudur, demanded a link for freight movement to the port or a mass rapid passenger transport system that would take most of the traffic off the road connecting Sriperumbudur to the city. The industries said they were finding it difficult to transport their goods to the port in the heavy traffic.
Hyundai, which has doubled its capacity to six lakh cars per annum and is exporting a major chunk of them, is finding it difficult as its containers are getting stuck in traffic jams along the 40 km stretch to the port. “Metro Rail can take a sizeable number of roadusers in the area off the roads. It will not only facilitate faster movement of people from the city to the outskirts, but also unclog the roads and ensure easier transport for the companies there,” a Hyundai official said. According to unofficial statistics, close to 20,000 people commute from the industrial hub to the city everyday.
Meanwhile, Chennai Metro Rail Corporation is yet to give its nod to the state government’s suggestion. “The proposal came up while discussing investment details of the Avadi-Sriperumbudur rail link. It needs extensive planning and feasibility surveys as was done for the two metro corridors for the city,” an official said.
State government sources said that the issue is expected to come up again at a meeting called for by chief secretary A K Sripathy with the railways to discuss the Avadi-Sriperumbudur rail link; which was originally part of the MoU that Hyundai had signed with the state government when it set up operations in the outskirts of the city in 1999. Officials of the Chennai Metro Rail Corporation are also likely to take part in the meeting next month.
LINKING UP
Over 20,000 people travel daily on work to Sriperumbudur
Most people take the Bangalore highway to Sriperumbudur. Due to the increasing traffic, companies often face delays in transporting their shipments to the port
A railway link will save time not only for industries but also commuters, who would be spared of the arduous road travel
The proposal was first mooted when industries, which have a big presence in Sriperumbudur, demanded a link for freight movement to the port or a mass rapid passenger transport system that would take most of the traffic off the road connecting Sriperumbudur to the city. The industries said they were finding it difficult to transport their goods to the port in the heavy traffic.
Hyundai, which has doubled its capacity to six lakh cars per annum and is exporting a major chunk of them, is finding it difficult as its containers are getting stuck in traffic jams along the 40 km stretch to the port. “Metro Rail can take a sizeable number of roadusers in the area off the roads. It will not only facilitate faster movement of people from the city to the outskirts, but also unclog the roads and ensure easier transport for the companies there,” a Hyundai official said. According to unofficial statistics, close to 20,000 people commute from the industrial hub to the city everyday.
Meanwhile, Chennai Metro Rail Corporation is yet to give its nod to the state government’s suggestion. “The proposal came up while discussing investment details of the Avadi-Sriperumbudur rail link. It needs extensive planning and feasibility surveys as was done for the two metro corridors for the city,” an official said.
State government sources said that the issue is expected to come up again at a meeting called for by chief secretary A K Sripathy with the railways to discuss the Avadi-Sriperumbudur rail link; which was originally part of the MoU that Hyundai had signed with the state government when it set up operations in the outskirts of the city in 1999. Officials of the Chennai Metro Rail Corporation are also likely to take part in the meeting next month.
LINKING UP
Over 20,000 people travel daily on work to Sriperumbudur
Most people take the Bangalore highway to Sriperumbudur. Due to the increasing traffic, companies often face delays in transporting their shipments to the port
A railway link will save time not only for industries but also commuters, who would be spared of the arduous road travel
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