Chennai, Feb 9: In response to soaring demand and in a bid to enhance commuter convenience, Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) is set to unveil expanded parking facilities at two key stations – Little Mount and Thirumangalam. These enhancements come as a relief to the thousands of commuters grappling with limited last-mile and first-mile connectivity options, who heavily rely on personal vehicles to access metro services.
The expanded parking at Little Mount station is on the verge of completion and is poised to open its gates to commuters within days. This initiative will see the existing parking capacity for two-wheelers increase from 250 to 400, while the four-wheeler capacity remains unchanged at 50. Meanwhile, at Thirumangalam station, where parking demand is particularly high, plans are in motion to introduce a second level to accommodate an additional 350 two-wheelers. Furthermore, a recently acquired piece of land earmarked for the Thirumangalam station’s phase II project will provide parking space for approximately 70 four-wheelers and 100 two-wheelers.
Both expansions aim to tackle the surging parking demand driven by the substantial daily footfall witnessed at these metro stations. Little Mount, catering to 5,000 to 6,000 commuters daily, and Thirumangalam, witnessing around 13,000 to 14,000 daily passengers, have been grappling with congestion issues exacerbated by insufficient parking infrastructure.