Broken shelters replaced at Villivakkam railway station

They were damaged in Vardah

A week ago, the Villivakkam railway station was buzzing with activity and commuters were heaving a sigh of relief.

The Southern Railway had replaced the damaged roof of shelters on all the four platforms. The dilapidated shelters, which were damaged in cyclone Vardah, had forced commuters to wait under the shade of trees on the platforms.

The action follows a report by

The Hindu Downtown (dated April 21, 2017), highlighting the plight of commuters, including suburban travellers, who feared the damaged concrete shelters might cave in anytime. Prompted by the report, S. Venugopal, a long-time resident of Villivakkam also wrote a series of letters to the Southern Railway, urging the officials to have the old shelters replaced. Responding to the letters, the Southern Railway ensured quick action. “Re-laying of the sheets began in May. The Villivakkam railway station, which is the largest station in terms of commuter inflow, should be a model railway station,” says Venugopal, who is an advocate at the Madras High Court.