As a premier rail terminal that is used by thousands of people every hour, Chennai Central needs services that are both reliable and of high quality.
Passengers are weary at the end of a journey — they encounter bed-bugs in the air-conditioned compartment linen and various pests in all bogies — and want a comfortable, quick exit from the station. Those who come to the station to take a train have to elbow their way to the platforms, as the main concourses have long exhausted their capacity to handle the throngs.
What is really striking about Central is its deteriorating traffic ecology: waste of circulating space outside the stately terminal. This is evident in the parking area, the autorickshaw stands, and the lanes that lead out towards the erstwhile Moore Market. Rubbish has proliferated in all areas outside of the terminal, blocking pedestrian movement, and in the monsoon, this filthy landscape turns into a horror for those who must transport their baggage to cars, the run-down taxi and autorickshaw bays or buses across the road.
To walk to the two pedestrian subways outside is to brave an obstacle course. Of course, some of the difficulty is temporary, because of the construction of a major interchange — a metro rail station for passengers to change lines. But is it extraordinarily difficult to create a proper paved surface in the precincts of the station and improve the lighting for the present?
The irony of the situation is that it is the same officialdom governing the environment at Central that is promising us a different world when the Chennai Metro arrives. Undoubtedly, the Metro is shaping up as an engineering marvel that can potentially change the way we all move. It is a pity that the rail corridors under implementation are woefully inadequate to meet demand from far corners of the city and the system is losing economies of scale. Again, it remains to be seen if the government will aid linking of buses and feeder transport to it, and give harassed passengers the option of a common rail-bus ticket.
Laissez faire taxi and autorickshaw operations that exist today can only put off commuters if they remain unchanged. Crucially, Southern Railway and the Tamil Nadu authorities have to shake off their indolence in managing public space. The proof of their rosy future concepts will lie in how efficiently they act in the present. Central station is poised to become much more crowded in about two years – the Metro station here will be common for both the Metro lines now under implementation – one leading west to Thirumangalam and on to Koyambedu, and the other south, to the airport. It will connect, as Chennai Metro Rail Ltd. notes, more than one suburban railway a short distance away. The most important government hospital in the State is also only a couple of hundred metres away and the new Madras Medical College building in the nearby Old Jail area is ready.
Thus, what Central needs today is a traffic ecologist to study it carefully, and reorder the lines of movement – putting people first. So here is a list of things to do immediately: A. Clean up the entire complex of muck, debris, and filth to increase circulating space B. Pave the surface used by passengers and vehicles to proper engineering standards C. Put up sign boards inside and outside the terminal on facilities available, with directions using global travel signage standards. D. Improve lighting in public access areas outside the terminal. E. Run a regulated and transparent call taxi and autorickshaw service, abolishing monopolies.
None of this is expensive and there is a lot of passenger goodwill to be gained.
Very true. Recently after my trip to bangalore i returned to chennai central by shathapdhi exp around 9 30 pm. I wanted to get a prepaid taxi. As i had not been to central for a few years i asked at the 'may i help you desk' and followed the directions given to locate the prepaid taxi booth. I made a couple of rounds, still i could not locate. Exaspetated i asked another policeman who gave same directions. I argued saying that there was only prepaid auto stand but not taxi stand and that too was closed. He insisted that booth is beside prepaid auto booth. Again i reached the spot dismissing nagging auto and taxi drivers. There, to my utter dismay i learnt that the prepaid taxi booth close early by 6 pm. There were several paasengers from other states who were asking for prepaid taxi and finally took a call taxi. Why this hassle?
The article was good highlighting the inadequacies in Central Railway station. It is high time that the government really looks at developing the station. Its really a shame to mention that Central station is the largest terminal in Tamil Nadu.
As long as the government does not listen to the woes of people harrased by autorickshaw drivers, there will be no end to it.
The metro arriving will only make it worse as it is the same bureaucrats overlooking
the project. This is not a guess but the reality. The management of Central Station
should be handed over to established agencies for a proper overhaul.
Delay will create more chaos.
They do not even have sufficient toilets that people can use to attend to the nature's call.... People have to compare Central station the way British left and the current state.. What is the improvement/development that SW railways has done to improve facilities/infrastructure in the station? Do they really care of facilities/infrastructure to the people? Budget after budget, railway ministers keep talking about world class railway station.. First they have to provide atleast basic facilities before dreaming about world class facilities..
Rightly said,
I live at Tambaram and its a herculean job for me to Walk all the way
from, lets say 12th Coach of a train (I need to walk almost the whole
length) to the subway, passing through all kinds of traffic - People
sleeping on the way, stinking waste all over the place and what not.
The places near the car parking are flooded whenever it rains, and
those who believed to pull their luggage with trolleys- bad luck. From
there, I have to stand in a long queue at Park station for atleast
half an hour to get the ticket. Then climb the foot-over bridge to
cross the track (which many adventurous people cross by getting down
in the track, or pass through the train that which halts which goes in
opposite direction). There's almost 0 sanitation happening at the
station. Dogs sleep near the metal chairs where people are supposed to
sit. Dust bins are always full, overflowing. Most people as I said
already sleep on the way where people are supposed to walk. Once I
almost stamped on a baby!
I travelled in Egmore-Salem Express(Train No:11063) on 01.11.2012.in A/C 3tier B2/52.I was nearly bitten by a rat and I escaped as I was not fast asleep.The conditions in sleeper class bogies are none the better.The railway management has to anewer for these inadequacies as they are providing a service on payment.
Good article with suggestions to the authorities. It is not too late and
they should take lead from now to fix the issues and ensure Chennai
Central in better look.
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