The Hindu 20.09.2009

Commuters welcome EMU service with digital boards

Special Correspondent

TAMBARAM: Commuters, who on Friday travelled by the brand new EMU rake fitted with Global Positioning System-based information display boards, in each of the nine compartments, welcomed the “user friendly” initiative of Southern Railway.

They wanted similar boards to be installed in all suburban and long distance trains as well. The Tambaram–Chennai Beach local (B 26) EMU left Tambaram station at 7.56 a.m on Friday, without any fanfare or flagging off ceremony.

It was for the first time that Southern Railway was introducing a suburban EMU with such information boards.

The boards give details about the approaching station, time and name of the station where it was halting.

It also carries messages of public importance. S. Deepa, a student, said she was impressed with the facility.

She hoped the Southern Railway would come up with more women commuter-friendly measures.

M. Preethi, an employee of a private firm, said the digital information boards were a boon to non-Tamil speaking commuters. However, she hoped that the boards would also display messages in Tamilfor the benefit of the majority travelling public.

Other commuters, initially unaware of the new facility until media persons pointed it out to them, said it was a welcome measure.

They urged Southern Railway to provide similar facilities in long distance trains as well, especially in air conditioned coaches, as those travelling in them had to strain to locate the name of the stations where the train halted.

Southern Railway staff in Tambaram told media persons that the coaches were also equipped with speakers so that commuters could hear any important information announced by the motorman or guard. However, they were yet to perfect them and hoped that it would start working in a few weeks.

The Times of India 14.09.2009

MTC bus stop near airport entrance pleases many

TNN 14 September 2009, 02:52am IST

CHENNAI: The shifting of a Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) bus stop on Grand Southern Trunk (GST) Road to an entrance of the Chennai airport a couple of days ago has come as relief for many. Now, visitors and employees of the airport need not walk about half-a-km to catch a bus to go towards Guindy.

The MTC, for the benefit of people returning from the airport towards St Thomas Mount and Guindy, on Friday shifted the bus stop to the entrance opposite the international departure terminal. The stop was earlier located about half-a-km away.

"There were demands on behalf of the visitors that the bus stop should be shifted near the airport. Accordingly, we have moved the bus stop by operating our buses on the service road adjacent to the flyover opposite the airport. Earlier, the buses were being run on the flyover and they had the bus stop ahead of it,'' a senior MTC official said.

Clarifying that the buses were not being operated through airport, the official said: "Like all other vehicles coming on the service lane on GST Road towards Guindy, our buses too take a small divertion through the airport premises at the main entrance since they cannot go straight on GST Road a small stretch there is blocked for traffic.'' The official also added that there was no pickup of passengers by MTC buses from inside the airport campus.

While shifting of the bus stop has evoked a welcome response from the visitors to the airport as well as employees, many labourers going to countries like Dubai, Malaysia and Singapore for work have also appreciated the MTC's decision saying it was very useful to them.

"Earlier, autorickshaws were demanding exorbitant amounts to take us to the bus stop from the airport though it is just half-a-km away. Now we need not depend on them since the bus stop is just near an entrance,'' said Muniappan, a construction worker in Malaysia, while coming out of the airport on Sunday.

Many visitors to the airport have urged the MTC to operate its buses through the airport so that people would have the benefit of a facility like the one available on the premises of the Chennai Central railway station. They also wanted the MTC to revive the operation of airconditioned buses to the airport. The service had been cancelled about six months ago.