The jostling while making one’s way through the rush of passengers at the exit, non-availability of city buses and having to shell out a huge amount on autorickshaws proves to be the bane of rail passengers, who arrive before dawn at Visakhapatnam junction.
The half-closed entry/exit gates at Visakhapatnam railway station is a major irritant to passengers arriving by originating and terminating trains like AP Express and Godavari Express which bring in loads of passengers. “I came by Godavari Express from Secunderabad. Only one of the two halves of the large glass exit gate (near the Ticket Booking Office) was open, while the other was kept closed and this led to passengers trying to crowd around the narrow gate,” says S. Babu of Visakhapatnam, a frequent traveller. “The non-availability of buses from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. from the railway station to different corners of the city is another major drawback for Visakhapatnam. This apart, the absence of police personnel to regulate the autos during the predawn hours is adding to our woes. I had to shell out ₹300 to go to Arilova, a distance of about 5 km,” he says.
“I had to pay ₹100 to go to my home, which is barely 2 km away from the station,” says Ch. Srinivasa Rao, a resident of Madhuranagar.
“The erection of barricades was done as part of the Station Redevelopment work, which got delayed due to COVID-19,” said Station Director Rajgopal, when the issue was brought to his notice. Night services on long distance routes like Simhachalam and Gajuwaka from Visakhapatnam railway station, which used to ply a couple of decades ago were withdrawn due to limited response. RTC used to collect one-and-a-half times the normal fare but commuters were happy with those services and had no complaint.
“We will conduct a survey on the demand and take it to the notice of the higher authorities for resumption of late night and predawn services,” Deputy Chief Traffic Manager (Urban) M. Sudhabindhu told The Hindu , when the issue was brought to her notice.
