CHENNAI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday inaugurated a few projects that will make commuting, road transport and movement of freight hassle-free for the city.
These include a new 30km third linebetween Chengalpet and Tambaram,redevelopment of Egmore railway station at Rs 370crore, and Katpadi railwaystation. Other projects are: ChennaiPort-Maduravoyal Elevated Corridor, Chennai-Bengaluru Expressway, and multi-Modal Logistic Park at Chennai.
The new line will allow Railways to operate more suburban trains and express trains won’t have to wait long for signals. For now, Railways is going torun one extra service between Tambaram and Chengalpet. It plans to increase frequency during non-peakhours, but not during peak hours as thenew line runs close to a bridge and ifpassengers hang out of the train, theycan get hurt or worse.
Commuters said that railways should try to run a circular service connecting Kanchipuram and Arakkonam. Chennai Port-Maduravoyal ElevatedCorridor was first inaugurated in 2007,but work came to a halt six years later.
The Rs 5,800-crore corridor is all set to becompleted within 30 months now. One of the two decks has been reserved fortrucks so that goods can be transportedto and from Chennai Port without delays. S Yuvraj from TN Lorry Owners’ Association said truckers expected the project to be extended till Sriperumbudur. Ending it at Maduravoyal might cause frequent congestion in the Poonamallee area, he said. The Rs 6,400-crore Chennai-BengaluruExpressway project aims at connecting the two metros through a 278-km four-lane road.
Currently, most vehicles from Chennai take the NH-48 and NH-44(Vellore-Krishnagiri-Hosur) to reach Bengaluru. It takes at least 6 and a half hours to travel 350 km. Once the expressway is completed, travel time is expected to be reduced by up to two hours.
A key aspect of this project is the advanced traffic management system(ADMS). This aims to facilitate uninterrupted traffic flow by providing realtime info on traffic volume to road users via digital boards placed near proposed toll plazas. The logistics park is a freight-handling facility with various modes of transportation access (rail and road)and mechanised warehouses. It aims toreduce freight costs, time taken to transport goods, warehouse cost, and reduce congestion.
Behind the lighthouse project
The light house project, implying that houses made of precast concrete, created a bit of confusion with the person who was translating the speech of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
When translated literally, it meant lighthouse project hinting that it has something to do with the lighthouse that guides ships. It was translated into Rs kalangaraivilakkam' meaning lighthouse and not houses that are made of light components. The project talks about housing for people who are getting relocated.
