The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Pallavaram subway project yet to take off

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 10, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Pallavaram subway project yet to take off

K. Manikandan

It will benefit motorists, reduce hardship caused to train commuters: residents

— Photo: K. Manikandan

Their need : Pallavaram residents want the level crossing (LC No. 25) on Dargah Road to be replaced by a limited use subway.

TAMBARAM: More than a year and half after it was announced that a limited use subway would replace the railway level crossing (LC no. 25) on Dargah Road near Pallavaram railway station, the project remains a non-starter.

Dargah Road serves as a crucial link, connecting Grand Southern Trunk Road with localities in Zamin Pallavaram and those in Keelkattalai. The proposal to replace the level crossing here with a subway was included, among other projects, as part of the gauge conversion scheme of 1999 to ensure “throughput enhancement” of trains (by reducing the wait time near level crossings).

In February last year, Southern Railway announced that the gates at the level crossing would be closed permanently to make way for the subway. And for reasons best known to it and the State Highways Department, the project is yet to take-off, residents of Dargah Road and office-bearers of citizens groups in Zamin Pallavaram told The Hindu on Saturday.

A census in 2002 revealed that the level crossing witnessed a traffic flow of 20.67 lakh train vehicle units a day. Of the project’s estimated cost of around Rs.6 crore, Southern Railway’s share is around Rs.4 crore. The Highways Department will bear rest of the cost.

Senior engineers of the Highways Department said while the Southern Railway would install 5-metre wide and 3-metre tall concrete boxes using ‘box pushing’ technology, they would construct access roads from both GST Road and Dargah Road.

The length of the access roads would be 150 metres on either sides of the boxes, for which land had to be acquired. An important reason for the delay in the project implementation is that if the level crossing is closed, residents of Zamin Pallavaram would find it difficult to reach GST Road.

Now that a limited use subway was operational on the Northern side of the railway station near the railway level crossing — LC no. 24 — work on the Dargah Road subway should be taken up immediately, Pallavaram residents said. Vehicles could reach this operational subway through Sivasankaran Street and Station Border Road from Dargah Road.

Due to the massive vehicle pile-up on this level crossing during peak hours, trains were forced to wait and such incidents were becoming more frequent. The construction of a subway at Dargah Road level crossing would benefit motorists as also reduce the hardship caused to thousands of electric train commuters, said residents. They appealed to the Southern Railway and Highways Department to commence work on this project immediately.

Pallavaram Municipality too is reported to have given its consent for parting with the land required for the project. Enquiries revealed that the designs for the access roads were nearing completion. Once the State Government’s gave its nod, tenders would be floated and work would start soon.

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