The Southern Railway, in order to make up for the time lost because of COVID-19 pandemic in upgrading passenger amenities, has fast-tracked the pending work in suburban railway stations.
The Chennai division of the Southern Railway is executing the work on installation of lifts, fixing of closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras, improving the facilities in the parking yard, and construction of double dischargeable platforms in railway stations.
A senior official said work on fixing CCTV cameras under the Nirbhaya scheme for improving the security of women passengers has been initiated at 70 railway stations with work to be completed in Nungambakkam, St. Thomas Mount, Palavanthangal, Arakkonam, Jolarpet, Chromepet, Thirumayilai and Chengalpattu stations. Also the work of commissioning the lift is set to be launched in Basin Bridge, Perambur and Nungambakkam stations. Similarly, the railways would be commissioning the lift in Chromepet and Mambalam suburban stations, he said.
Encouraged by the positive feedback to the double discharge platforms at important stations such as Guindy, Mambalam and Egmore, the Southern Railway is commissioning work on providing similar facility at Kodambakkam, Nungambakkam, Perambur and Thiruninravur railway stations.
S. Murugaian of Thiruninravur Rail Passengers Welfare Association thanked the Southern Railway for sanctioning two lifts in the station. He said senior citizens, women and pregnant women found it difficult to climb the steep flight of steps leading to the skywalk.
Although the Southern Railway had sanctioned a lift at the station in 2016, the work did not take off and once the issue was taken forward to the Divisional Railway Manager recently, two lifts were sanctioned and work was set to start soon, he added.
Facilities revived
Parking lots which had gone into disuse during the COVID-19 pandemic after a number of parking contractors had quit were being revived. Parking stands located on the eastern side of the Tambaram station, Perungudi, Guindy and Saidapet, which were without parking contractors, now have new contractors. Based on complaints from various quarters about encroachments on railway premises causing hindrance to movement of commuters, the railways, with the help of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel, had evicted vendors from railway stations which witnessed high footfall.
A senior official said the encroachment by hawkers who had put up stalls on the railway premises were removed in Guindy and Tambaram stations. Vendors were evicted on the west side of the two railway stations reach the GST Road quickly. Although removal of hawkers during this juncture was a sensitive issue as it would hit their livelihood, similar drive had been proposed to be taken up at Nungambakkam, Kodambakkam, St. Thomas Mount and Vandalur stations, he said. While the Southern Railway has started passenger amenities work in railway stations, regular commuters want parking facilities in Avadi, Ambattur, Pattabhiram, Maraimalai Nagar and St. Thomas Mount.
