Commuters at Chennai's MGR Central Railway Station are facing severe hardship and safety risks due to chaotic conditions at the bus bays during peak hours. The scene is marked by complete disarray as buses bunch together, blocking access and forcing passengers into dangerous maneuvers on the road.
Rush Hour Turns Risky at Key Transit Point
The core of the problem is bus bunching, where more than half a dozen buses arrive simultaneously. This influx leaves no space for commuters to board safely or for additional buses to enter the designated bays. The resulting gridlock creates a long line of vehicles that stretches all the way to Poonamallee High Road.
To reach buses stuck at the back of the queue, passengers are forced to take extreme measures. They must squeeze through narrow gaps between parked buses and then run along the main carriageway of the road outside the bus stand, putting themselves in direct danger from moving traffic.
Systemic Failures and Passenger Peril
The design flaw exacerbates the crisis. When the first bay gets clogged, it automatically blocks entry to the second bay as well. This forces passengers, including many elderly individuals and those carrying heavy luggage, to jump from the second bay to the first, significantly increasing the risk of slips, falls, and accidents.
R Jayaraman, a daily commuter, highlighted the danger, noting that many senior citizens have fallen down in the scramble. Despite claims from Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) officials denying bus bunching, ground reality tells a different story. Every time the traffic signal turns green, a large swarm of buses enters the station premises at once, all rushing to occupy the limited bay space.
Calls for Infrastructure Upgrade and Immediate Action
The issue is compounded by outdated infrastructure. While the nearby Central Square bus stand was upgraded with bigger bays for buses heading to Broadway, the old bus stand catering to the massive railway station crowd remains neglected. CPI councillor M Renuka witnessed the fallout firsthand, observing commuters hopping onto buses directly on EVR Periyar Salai, before the bus stand, because buses were parked outside and leaving without ever entering the bay.
Transportation activist Senthil Kumar proposed a concrete solution: widening the two existing bays and extending them up to Wall Tax Road. He argues that longer bays can accommodate more incoming buses simultaneously, which would solve the bottleneck issue.
In response to the growing crisis, MTC Joint Managing Director R Sundarapandian stated that they plan to station a marshal outside the bus stand to streamline operations. "We will coordinate with police and ensure this is addressed," he assured. Whether this measure will be enough to bring order to the daily chaos remains to be seen, as thousands of commuters continue to navigate the hazardous conditions every day.
