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Chennai Suburban Rail : Paranur Station next to Mahindra World City where ITPL failed
Written By Sanjeev - 24 September, 2013
Bangalore CRS Commuter rail Commuter rail Suburban Rail
Recently I was at Mahindra World City which is 50 Kms from Chennai. As usual got interested in the Connectivity from this place to Heart of Chennai.
When checked, came to know this Paranur station. Infact most of the big companies located at this place run shuttel services every 15 / 30 min to this Paranur station for their employees.
Here some of the news article on this Paranur station :
As the Paranur station abuts Mahindra Wrold City which 60 Kms from Chenna.
So exactly why is it worth writing about? Because it has managed to do stuff that’s completely alien to train travel in our country. It’s clean (yes, the toilets too), it’s colourful, landscaped and well maintained.
The magic is the result of an impressive public-private partnership, reportedly the first of its kind in the country. Mahindra World City Developers (MWCD) joined hands with Indian Railways to give the dreary station a makeover, after Mahindra World City, an integrated business zone, came up here.
Money well spent
MWCD has spent Rs. 1.5 crore on the project and also meets the recurring expenditure of maintaining and protecting the facility. Considering that the station is the gateway to Mahindra World City and used by 40 per cent of its workforce, it is obviously money well spent for the company. And a windfall for the neighbourhood.
As the suburban train slides into the station, the scene shifts from dreariness to vibrant colour. A shock of well-tended greenery lines the main structure that contains the ticket counter, the waiting room and toilets. Fountains add drama to the view. Stretches of land near the tracks are landscaped, and the platform and foot over-bridge look slick, with their overlay of tiles. The surprise continues all the way to the toilets, immaculately kept and with a special facility for the differently-abled. Spittoons and high-velocity lighting complete the satisfying picture of modernity and sophistication.
“As the station abuts our city, we wanted to give it an ambience and amenities that will benefit the employees of MWC and others,” says Sangeetha Prasad, CEO, MWCD. Five years on, the station is set to become a beacon for similar partnerships elsewhere.
“A delegation from the Ministry of Commerce visited the station to see how the model works,” says Prasad.
Paranur is a trendsetter in how private companies can be roped into public infrastructure projects. May their tribe increase!
Some highlights
*Round-the-clock security
*Well-tended garden with fountains and flower beds
*High-velocity lighting
*Spacious ticket counter
*Waiting room with toilets, including one for the differently-abled
*Steel benches and spittoons
http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/on-the-right-track/article3639754.ece
Shilpa Architects who designed this tiny station :
http://shilpaarchitects.com/portfolio.php?id=58
Chennai Suburban Rail where Paranur Station exist : Beach - Tambaram - Chengalpattu
http://www.urbanrail.net/as/chen/chennai_subur07c.pdf
This Paranur Railway station currently operates over 64 local services between Chengelpat and Chennai Beach and has 20,000 people using this service.
COMMENTS
Same case with HiTech City in Hyderabad.
Sanjeev - 24 September, 2013 - 05:36
MMTS Hyderabad is meeting demands of IT people travell needs with HiTech City station.
Looking at how ITPL at Whitefield strugeling for the commuting needs and still hoping some miracle will happen outside its premises.
Simple thing in case of ITPL could have been & now also its possible :
1. Develop halt station behind Prestige Shantiniketan apartment and provide good foot paths to ITPL. This may not cost more then 5 Crore and another 2 Crore for FOB. So in oer all 10 Crore is sufficent.
2. As most of the shuttel sevices between Bangalore City - Bangarpet / Marikuppam gives unscheduled / unoffical stops, make them offical stop at the above place.
3. Extend the Bangarpet - Bangalore City Trains to Bidadi
4. Add another just FOUR more services 2 in the morning and 2 in the evening. This will give 8 / 10 services between Whitefiled - Bangalore city which will inturn brings down pressure on the road.
idontspam - 24 September, 2013 - 06:16
Compare this to the massive amount of concrete used for the metro stations.
There is clear bias here and Metro has a role in this.
I'm not sure metro has a role in this - if so, the politicians & bureaucracy must be blamed for the bias.
Fact is Karnataka's politicians have been weaklings. Our politicians & industry have never pursued suburban rail seriously for decades despite many study reports. Ideally, suburban rail services to Bangarpet, Tumkur & Ramnagaram should have been started at least two decades ago instead of waiting to solve city commuting problems.
Hyderabad pursued MMTS through political manoevering though the investment seems somewhat of a waste now since it has limited reach & there are duplications with metro being built, but Bangalore's suburban services would have covered far more destinations upto satellite towns & of far better utility.
Oh please, for the umpteenth time do not keep insisting that suburban rail is the one & only solution for any & every area in Bangalore whilst metro is just a waste of concrete. Appreciate whims & fancies are kept wrapped up since they do not make any sense at all to address the city's commuting needs. When authorities are now committed to rail solutions rather than road (as in the past) to solve the traffic mess that Bangalore has been, they need our encouragement rather than meaningless recommendations. As I said earlier, rail tracks are where they are & cannot be moved - suffice to say that they can be used to the extent possible but they will never be able to solve most commuting problems nor be a substitute for a metro system that can be positioned across much larger catchment areas.
Paranur station is 50km away from Chennai city & Mahindras contributed to developing the station since they needed connectivity to Chennai city to ensure their project that stood isolated far away did not fail. This is no different to cluster cities being planned around Bangalore with suburban rail connections - & developing stations at spots needed.
SEEPZ in Mumbai does not have any special shuttle buses - it has normal BEST buses which are inefficient due to traffic, especially in peak hours. Mumbai metro line-3 (entirely u/g) is planned along Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ route.
As for Hyderabad (& also Chennai), MMTS /MRTS routes are restricted & do not cover most catchment areas. A metro route is being planned connecting Hi-Tec city in Hyderabad.
Salt lake city in Kolkata has suburban rail far off & a metro route (line-2) is planned covering the various sectors of the area.
Sorry, but without touching upon these facts, your claims about the effectiveness & efficiency of suburban rail in other cities is as usual hollow & completely biased.
Whitefield is a fully developed suburb of Bangalore housing hundreds of companies & residences contiguous & less than 20km from city. Is the distant suburban line enough to take care of needs for the whole of whitefield? The shortest distance between the suburban rail tracks & ITPL is over a km & there are no proper roads. The nearest points from where buses can be run is from Hoodi 2.7km away. New stations have been recommended in our Call to Action report at Hoodi & Sadarmangal, but both are far off & buses will be inefficient (like SEEPZ in Mumbai) & people will continue using cars.
And ITPL is not just one destination in Whitefield - EPIP, various hospitals & educational institutions etc are spread out everywhere. So, appreciate all aspects are touched upon instead of exaggerating about the virtues of suburban rail in other cities without full knowledge.
IT Cities Suburban Rail onnectivity Mumbai. Hyderaba, Chennai
Sanjeev - 24 September, 2013 - 05:45
Was woundering till now we did't notice on how Paranur station made difference for travell to Mahindra World City in Chennai which 50 Kms from the city. Only looking at how MRTS initially failed till now???
Same way with MMTS to HiTech City in Hyderabad. Similarly at SEEPZ Mumbai which close to Andheri has bus shuttel services from Andheri Station to SEEPZ
Can any one update on how Salt Lake city in Calcutta is having Urban Transort Connectivity ???
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