Escalators, staircases in six Chennai Metro stations to get a roof

In what could give relief to commuters, Chennai Metro Rail will cover the escalators and staircases of some of the stations which are prone to get slippery during rain

In what could give relief to commuters, Chennai Metro Rail will cover the escalators and staircases of some of the stations which are prone to get slippery during rain.

In six stations along the 45 km network of the Phase I project, including CMBT, Nanganallur, Government Estate, Meenambakkam, LIC and Guindy, the work to provide roof to these facilities will be carried out.

According to officials of Chennai Metro Rail Ltd. (CMRL), in these stations, part of the staircase or escalator or the whole structure is open to the sky and not covered by a roof. Hence, during the monsoon every year, the staircases get slippery and could be risky for passengers, especially senior citizens and children. If the rain is heavy, then it becomes difficult for passengers to use the escalator and the staircase as water gushes down sometimes, an official said.

“Also, there are occasions when the escalators stop working or we have to switch it off in case of torrential rains. Passengers have raised these complaints to us in the past and we have been looking to resolve it for a while now. To stop these problems, we have decided to cover them,” he said.

The agency had floated the bids now and it is likely to take another four months to finalise the contractor. The firm will given about six months to complete the work, he said.