The is strong case for installing a foot over bridge at Perungalathur railway station a the earliest. At present, an alarming number of commuters take unnecessary risks, walking over the tracks when they should not. Pedestrians and motorists don’t pay heed to the two level crossings, installed to facilitate safe commuter movement to the interior parts of Perungalathur and to Grand Southern Trunk Road.
Many of them can be seen duck underneath and move on, risking their lives and exposing their vehicles to damage. “ The Railway officials must address the issue at the earliest,” commuters said.
“As commuters faced problems when a 12-car train service was operated between Chennai Beach-Tirumalpur via Tambaram, in 2010, the State government agreed to construct a road over-bridge at the station and in 2011, the Highways Department and Southern Railway decided to construct a road-over-bridge and a pedestrian subway to replace the two level crossings near the Perungalathur railway station. The project never took off. The platform at Perungalathur railway station is not long enough to accommodate all the 12 compartments. The first three compartments would halt outside the platform and commuters can be seen jumping out of the compartments at the station,” the commuters complained. People narrowly escaping being hit by a train is common sight. To give an example, a man would be pulling his bike at the last minute to avoid being hit by a suburban electrical multiple unit. “People habitually take risks at these level crossings. We have told the motorcyclists , commuters and pedestrians to be patient, but they don’t seem to care,” a railway staff said.
