Business units in the information technology corridor are rejoicing that Velachery-St Thomas Mount metro link will be completed by 2013.
The link will be crucial for thousands of employees commuting from Tambaram and beyond to this corridor (Old Mahabalipuram Road) and in Velachery.
There are over one lakh employees working in and around the corridor. Almost all the top IT companies, including Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, Wipro and HCL Technologies, have their centres in the region.
The link will help employees from Tambaram and beyond come to the corridor. At present, the option is to take the company-run bus or use the Government bus.
However, after the link is established, they can transit at St Thomas Mount and take the metro to Perungudi or Tiruvanmiyur and proceed to the corridor, said an official of a US-based software company, who is not authorised to speak to the media.
The Velachery-St Thomas stretch is the third phase extension of the Mass Rapid Transit System in the city. Work on the 5-km, three-station stretch was started in 2008 and was to be completed by December 2010. The project has been delayed due to the land acquisition and the withdrawal of contract to one of the contractors.
Once the link is completed, St Thomas Mount will become a major hub where three rail systems will converge. The Chengalpet-Tambaram-Beach sub-urban line, the MRTS and the Mono Rail will converge here to help commuters shift among the rail systems.
The only problem at present is the land acquisition between Adambakkam and St Thomas Mount, but sources said it would be sorted out soon.