Passengers put to inconvenience without bus services, proper lighting facility
Railway Ministry announced upgradation of facilities at Koodal Nagar railway station to make it a model railway station few years back. The then Divisional Railway Sunil Kumar Garg declared that every effort would be taken to make the same station a satellite station for Madurai railway junction in 2016.
But, when the Southern Railway planned to terminate Madurai-Palani and Palani-Madurai passenger trains at Koodal Nagar owing to apron work on Platform One in Madurai railway junction, the glitches in provision of even basic amenities showed up.
Ever since, termination of the trains started from November 24/25, passengers have been put to lot of inconvenience. Firstly, passengers find no public transport service for them to reach the railway station. The station is nearly one km from the Fatima College bus stop on the Western side and from Shanthi Nagar bus stop on the other side.
“We shelled out ₹150 each for three autorickshaws from railway junction to Koodal Nagar,” complained a tailor from Pollachi, P. Nagarajan (36). He had come on a pilgrimage to Tiruchendur with a big group of 15 family members. He came to know about the change in the train services only after reaching the junction.
He felt that bus services could have helped him save money that was unnecessarily spent on autorickshaws.
Many groups of passengers, including children and elderly persons, found it difficult to cross over four railway tracks to reach the main platform (through Fatima College bus stop) as the autorickshaws stopped closer to entrance to the platform, while the foot-over bridge was on the farther end.
It was not different for passengers who came from other side as they too had to walk over a railway track lugging their luggage.
“I do not find much difficulty in dropping my daughter at this station on my bike in the mornings. Lack of street-light facility and jungle-like wild growth on the approach road (to Fatima College bus stop) make it a dangerous venture on this stretch after sunset,” complained P. Murugan of Arapalayam.
As a precautionary measure, he has asked his daughter, a college student, to take bus on her return trip from her college in Ambaturai to ensure her safety.
To add to the passengers’ woes, the station does not have drinking water facility on the platform. When Mr. Nagarajan went in search of water with three cans, he was offered water for only one bottle by a railway staff from the Station Master’s room.
The partially damaged platform also posed danger to the passengers who were seen anxiously running to buy tickets for their journey as many of them reach the station at the last minute.
However, a railway employee said that the train leaves with a delay of few minutes every day after ensuring that the last passenger who buy tickets at the counter boards the train. “We also advise passengers not to take the road leading to Fatima College because of the darkness. We have told local auto drivers to pick up passengers as soon as the train arrives Koodal Nagar in the nights,” the employee said.
A. Rengarajan (50), a city resident said that at least when trains are terminated at Koodal Nagar, bus services should be arranged. Besides providing lighting facility, the wild growth should be cleared for passengers safety, he said.
When the inconvenience to the passengers was pointed out, an official from Madurai Railway Division said that TNSTC would operate one bus from Koodal Nagar station to Madurai railway junction for the benefit of passengers who arrive here by Palani-Madurai passenger train from Friday.
The bus would leave the station after arrival of the train.
