Passengers are facing a lot of hardship on Platforms Nos.8, 9, and 10 as there are no overhead sheds and are exposed to the scorching sun.
The problem gets aggravated due to rise in mercury levels.
Following increase in number of trains passing through the station, the South Central Railway authorities are allowing express and super fast trains on these platforms, which are constructed as part of expansion of Vijayawada Railway Station.
About 260 trains pass through Vijayawada station every day and more than one lakh passengers travel. The SCR was earning good revenue through tickets and freight loading from Vijayawada Division, but the railway authorities were not providing proper facilities to the public, say passengers.
“On platform Nos. 8, 9, and 10 there are no overhead sheds and the passengers are forced to wait in the scorching sun. The physically handicapped and the aged passengers are the worst affected,” said a passenger V. Sumanth.
“The sheds are left incomplete and the passengers are facing trouble waiting for trains. Railway officials should construct sheds and solve the problem immediately”, said another passenger M. Saraswathi.
In an open letter to Union Minister of State for Railways Kotla Surya Prakash Reddy, former MLA K. Subba Raju urged the Minister to solve the problems at Vijayawada railway station.
He appealed to the Minister to take up measures to operate express trains between Vijayawada and Secunderabad, doubling and electrification of tracks, arrange a passenger train from Vijayawada to Hyderabad during night, construct local stations at Krishna Canal and Payakapuram to avoid rush in the main station.
Mr. Subba Rao urged the Railway Minister to improve all platforms, provide escalator facility on all platforms, provide jobs for locals in the proposed ‘Rail Neer Bottling Plant’ and improve safety for passengers in stations and on trains.
