CHENNAI: Here’s a subway to nowhere. An unopened underpass connecting the Southern Railway headquarters and the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) built by Chennai Metro Rail Limited has become a den of anti-social activities.
The subway, if opened, would help people cross the road from Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital to the other side. This will help them go to Mint and Evening Bazaar Road. Now, pedestrians either jaywalk or walk around 250m to another subway opposite the Central railway station. “It is difficult to cross the road with my back ache. I have to walk to the other subway and then cross the road. It will be better if this subway is opened,” said S Ramamurthy, a patient at RGGGH.
A 2022 study on pedestrian road accidents done by urban planner Karthikeyan Baskar revealed that the area around Chennai Central is highly vulnerable to pedestrian accidents, especially due to rash driving.
With the structure ready for several months, Metrorail is still working on patchwork. The entry to the subway has been barricaded. But miscreants move the barricades and get into the subway to consume alcohol after 6 pm, when metro rail workers wrap up their work for the day.
The railings of the subway are also used to hang clothes by squatters. People stay inside the subway at night too. “I stay with my family inside the subway these days because my tent cannot handle the rain,” said a nearby flower seller.
A metro rail official said a watchman has been posted to guard the subway and to prevent anti-social activities. But there was no watchman when TOI visited the subway on Wednesday.
“We will open the subway within 20 to 25 days once the minor patchworks are completed,” said the official.
The subway, if opened, would help people cross the road from Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital to the other side. This will help them go to Mint and Evening Bazaar Road. Now, pedestrians either jaywalk or walk around 250m to another subway opposite the Central railway station. “It is difficult to cross the road with my back ache. I have to walk to the other subway and then cross the road. It will be better if this subway is opened,” said S Ramamurthy, a patient at RGGGH.
A 2022 study on pedestrian road accidents done by urban planner Karthikeyan Baskar revealed that the area around Chennai Central is highly vulnerable to pedestrian accidents, especially due to rash driving.
With the structure ready for several months, Metrorail is still working on patchwork. The entry to the subway has been barricaded. But miscreants move the barricades and get into the subway to consume alcohol after 6 pm, when metro rail workers wrap up their work for the day.
The railings of the subway are also used to hang clothes by squatters. People stay inside the subway at night too. “I stay with my family inside the subway these days because my tent cannot handle the rain,” said a nearby flower seller.
A metro rail official said a watchman has been posted to guard the subway and to prevent anti-social activities. But there was no watchman when TOI visited the subway on Wednesday.
“We will open the subway within 20 to 25 days once the minor patchworks are completed,” said the official.
