Metro Rail to soon hike parking fee for non-commuters in stations
This is being done since the parking space in stations such as Chennai Airport, Thirumangalam, and Anna Nagar East ll up fast during peak hours. The hike in each station will be according to the demand and footfall, says an o cial
Owing to high demand and in a bid to give regular travellers parking space, Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) will increase the parking fee for non-commuters soon.
The Metro Rail network, which spans 54 km, covers some of the arterial roads in the city on its Phase I corridors (Washermenpet to Chennai Airport and Chennai Central to St. Thomas Mount) and Phase I Extension corridor (Washermenpet to Wimco Nagar).
Most stations have been provided with parking facilities depending on their sizes.
But in stations with high footfalls, these facilities are still inadequate due to high demand.
According to CMRL ocials, many non-commuters park their vehicles in the stations owing to the safety and aordable fee.
As a result, in Metro stations such as Chennai Airport, Meenambakkam, Anna
Nagar Tower, Thirumangalam, Anna Nagar East, Toll Gate, and Nanganallur, the parking space gets lled quickly during peak hours, leaving no room for commuters.
“We want to give priority to those who use the Metro Rail. They should be able to park freely. Hence, we are planning to increase the parking fee for non-commuters in a few weeks. The hike in each station will be according to the demand and footfall. When people swipe the card to exit the parking, the machine will be able to detect if they’ve used the train service based on the last few transactions and charge them accordingly,” a CMRL ocial said.
Last June, CMRL began oering a discount on the parking fee for frequent commuters.
Now, if a commuter pays ₹10 for parking a twowheeler, a non-commuter will have to pay ₹20. This amount is likely to increase soon.
According to CMRL, non-commuters park their vehicles in the stations owing to the safety and a ordable fee