Residents of Pallavaram, Chromepet, Pammal and Pozhichalur feel the absence of a reservation counter for long-distance trains that they could be accessed quickly.
“We have to go to West Tambaram or the Tirusulam railway station, both of which have computerised passenger reservation centres, to book tickets. If we have such a counter either at Pallavaram or Chromepet railway station, we need not travel all the way to Tambaram,” said A. Mohammed, a resident of Pallavaram. “At present, on Sundays, the reservation counters function only from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. And Sunday being a holiday, there are long queues at the reservation counters. Considering this, the counters should be kept open up to 8 p.m. Also, booking and cancellations must be allowed from these counters,” said G. Sharath, a resident of Pozhichalur.
“If these stations had such counters facilitating booking/cancellation of tickets, it would be of great help to the residents of Pallavaram, Chromepet, Pammal, Pozhichalur and Anakapathur. Moreover, the reservation counters should have separate counters exclusively for Tatkal reservation, to manage the crowd,” Sharath added.
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“The Southern Railway should open reservation counters in all the stations at least during the festive season. At some booking offices, long queues are a common sight,” T. Vishwanathan, a resident of Hasthinapuram, said. When contacted, Southern Railway officials said, “The issue has been discussed with P.V. Vaithiyalingam, advisor (finance), Indian Railway Board, and the long-pending demand of the residents will be met soon.”