Karupatti railway station, located between Vadipatti and Sholavandan, in Madurai-Dindigul section is a typical wayside rural railway station.
All that the railway station has got is two platforms and a small passenger shelter. At least, the railway stations depicted in Tamil movies of the 1980s have a station master and a gang man. But, here they are missing. Neither drinking water facility nor toilet facility is available here. But, a pair of passenger trains running between Dindigul and Madurai stop here for a group of loyal passengers.
However, the station is in the eye of storm over the actual number of regular users. It all started with Madurai Divisional Railway issuing a statement that the one-minute halt of the two passenger trains would be done away with from July 15.
A commercial circular, dated June 24, 2005, issued by Railway Board states that railway can consider closure of halt stations when the average number of (outward) passengers is less than 50 per day in main line.
While regular passengers claim at least 60 passengers, including 38 season ticket holders, are using the railway station every day on an average, the railway administration says only 37 passengers, including 20 season ticket holders, are using it.
So where does this huge difference in number come from?
“The train halt agent is very irregular in issuing tickets. On many days, he turns up late and on many other days he comes with inadequate number of tickets. It is long time since he stopped issuing season tickets,” say the regular commuters.
“On many days, when the agent is absent, we collect train fare from passengers and organise someone to buy tickets at Sholavandan railway station. Yes, we are forced to travel without tickets till Sholavandan. But, the railway does not lose money as the fare from both stations to Madurai is same,” says A. Murugan, a computer service engineer.
The passengers are forced to buy season tickets from Madurai railway station. However, the officials are not willing to take into account these tickets, he complains.
Pre-Independence era
A farmer, R. Selvaraj (55), says the railway station had been functioning since pre-Independence era. “I had been travelling regularly to Madurai for seven years during my school and college days,” he adds.
The building opposite the main entrance of Madurai junction is known as Karupatti Chathiram only because people those days used that place to take rest while waiting for trains, he claims. Philanthropists donated a large tract of land to lay a narrow road from Irumbadi to the railway station.
Residents of Karuppatti, Irumbadi, Nachikulam, Balakrishnapuram, Salatchipuram, Narimedu, Pommanpatti, Machiyapuram and Ganesapuram use the station. And passengers from many of these villages walk two-three km to reach the station as there is no bus service or no adequate bus service.
Students who regularly used the train services, the cheap mode of transport, from these villages have become High Court advocates, doctor, high-ranking government official and even a State Minister (Pon. Muthuramalingam), he recalls.
“Train takes only 45 minutes to reach Madurai from here, while bus takes at least 1.30 hours. One-way train journey costs only Rs. 10, but it is Rs. 15 for bus travel. Similarly, monthly train season ticket costs only Rs. 185 compared to Rs. 1,000 for bus,” says R. Ariyapandi.
Most of the people travelling on the trains are from agricultural families. Besides, students, construction workers, employees of textile shops and other commercial and service establishments commute on the train daily. “Most of us earn only in the range of Rs. 4,500 – Rs. 7,000 a month,” he says.
Former president of Irumbadi panchayat K. Pannaiselvam wonders why the railway administration spent over Rs. 40 lakh for construction of two platforms in 2012 if the station was incurring a huge loss. “We had faced similar threats in the past and overcome them successfully. This time too, we will stall the railway’s attempt to close the station,” he adds.
He says only because the halt agent was irregular and stopped issuing season tickets (also admitted by the railways through a reply to enquiries raised under the Right to Information Act), the data revealed poor revenue generation from Karupatti.
“We take it up as a challenge that if season tickets and daily tickets are properly issued, we will prove that at least 70 passengers are using the train services daily in the next six months. I wonder why the railways is keen to close Karuppatti station where there is no additional expenditure in the form of salary to railway staff and workers. If this yardstick is applied to other stations, then Samayanallur and Koodal Nagar stations will have to be closed first as the railways has to pay the railway staff posted there,” he claims.
Railway sources say the decision to close the station has been approved by the General Manager, Southern Railway. However, since Theni MP R. Parthiban made a representation in person with the DRM, it closure order has been held in abeyance.
