CHENNAI: Suburban commuters rushing to board trains are finding it onerous to park their two-wheelers as most parking lots are crowded at many stations, including Tambaram and Velachery.
Commuters told TOI they are forced to park two-wheelers in any available space near stations due to the rush, and struggle to take out their vehicles in the evening.
Though several hundreds of commuters park their two-wheelers and use trains to reach their officers, Southern Railway is yet to introduce efficient management of parking lots. Often, an open space near the station is randomly allotted for parking, and an attendee sits at the entry to issue tickets. Commuters do not get assistance to find space. At many stations, such as Pattabiram, there is no covered parking.
R Pandia Raja, a commuter, said, “People have to rush to board the trains but often spend around five to ten minutes looking for space at stations such as Tambaram. The attendant is not aware about vacant slots.” He said the railways should introduce a smart parking system through which the number of vacant slots can be displayed. The parking attendant can also find out for how many days a vehicle is parked at a dedicated parking lot.
Sources said that railways have only recently begun focussing on park-and-ride as a concept beneficial for commuters. It is planning to revamp parking lots at stations, which are slowly but steadily transforming into multi-modal hubs.
The tenders for parking lots at stations are also being given in a centralised manner by the commercial department.
Southern Railway chief public relations officer B Guganesan said, “The contractors are following a system. Vehicles are parked in a row only. It's all about using the space. We will instruct the contractors to ensure that parking discipline is there.”
