Chennai Corporation set to open Boja Raja Nagar subway alleviating 60 years of plight
The subway construction began in 2022 at the cost of Rs 13 crore and was slated to be completed by 2024.
Boja Raja Nagar subway
CHENNAI: The residents of Old Washermenpet may soon be relieved of the gruelling routine of waiting four hours a day to cross a railway level crossing gate. The city corporation has planned to inaugurate the Boja Raja Nagar subway this month, which could end the sixty-year plight of Boja Raja Nagar, Mint Modern City, and Srinivasa Nagar locals, whose houses are located amid three train tracks.
The subway construction began in 2022 at the cost of Rs 13 crore and was slated to be completed by 2024. However, in 2025, the civic body announced that the limited-use subway (LUS) work in Bojaraja Nagar will be completed by May.
A senior GCC official told DT Next the works were delayed due to the relocation of underground utilities of the Metro Water Board and the monsoon rains, adding, "The final phase of works is happening in full swing, we plan to inaugurate the subway by the end of July."
The completed subway will make the lives of hundreds of daily commuters, school students and office workers easier by slashing their travel time. The closure of railway gates in crucial periods in the morning and evening has long impacted the routines of the residents.
"Over 6,000 families live in these three areas. For decades, we have been battling the problem of traffic congestion. Regular commuters wait for an hour in the morning and evening. Also, an hour in the afternoon. Our houses are located between three railway gates, and the only exit point is the railway gate. After reaching the Kannan Nagar roundtana, people take bus routes to reach Washermenpet, Royapuram, Chennai Central, Broadway, and other parts of Chennai," lamented N Elumalai, a Boja Raja Nagar resident.
Residents also worry about the many lives lost as the shuttle to hospitals for emergencies gets hampered due to the closure. Once the subway is completed, residents can reach Kannan Nagar and the other side within a minute.
K Bhuvana, a resident of Srinivasa Nagar, shared her bitter experience, "For more than 25 years, I have been living here, and for every monsoon, we experience hardships over the stagnation of rainwater. In 2006, I gave birth to my younger son in an autorickshaw. Many women like me gave birth in autorickshaws and ambulances while waiting. Further, adding to the woes, my father-in-law died while waiting for the ambulance, as it was stuck on the other side of the closed railway gate. The final phase of works is happening in full swing, we all wait for the inauguration."
