There’s a great deal of difference between the prominent railway terminals of Tamil Nadu and the hundreds of suburban stations. They are smaller, yes; but they also have no character, are common, drab and sometimes not very clean. While the suburban stations play the important role of transporting thousands of commuters, commercial opportunities are seldom exploited and the less said about maintenance, especially compared with the swanky Metro stations, the better. Though cleanliness and maintenance have improved over the years, many stations still suffer from bad lighting, cramped platforms, chipped, uneven tiling, absence of proper information and announcements, mismatched commuter amenities and inadequate parking spaces.
Taking into consideration all this, the Railway Ministry announced the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS) in the Railway Budget 2023-24. It is aimed at transforming and bringing uniformity in civic amenities at suburban stations. The Ministry plans to upgrade all stations in the country in phases under the ABSS.
Inspiration for the scheme
Under the ABSS, the Railway Board directed that 15 stations be identified in each division of the railway zones in the country for redevelopment. Southern Railway, which has six divisions, was allotted 90 stations for redevelopment; 60 of these stations are in the divisions of Chennai, Tiruchi, Salem, and Madurai, and are to be improved in the first phase.
A senior railway official who was involved in identifying the 15 stations for the Chennai division said the inspiration for the ABSS came from the re-modification of the Kudrah station in Odisha. The official said the 15 suburban stations located in and around the city are set to become landmarks. Some of them — including Guindy, Guduvancheri, Chengalpattu, Arakkonam, St. Thomas Mount and Tiruvallur — will turn out to be multi-modal transport hubs. The railway officials in Chennai have involved the stakeholders of the Tamil Nadu government, including Chennai Corporation, Chennai Unified Metro Transport Authority (CUMTA), Metro and Highways, in the project.
The senior official said the Guindy station, situated between the Metro station and the bus stop on Race Course Road, will get a common access to both the Metro station and the bus stop through a foot overbridge. The inter-link will facilitate seamless movement of passengers to any of these facilities. Much neglected stations in the northern section, including Sullurpeta and Gummidipoondi, are to be redeveloped and become important transit points for commuters bound for Andhra Pradesh and beyond.
In the western section, the Perambur, Ambattur and Tiruvallur stations are set for a makeover. The railway officials plan to make Perambur a mini-terminal for a section of long-distance trains and help save on their running time. Also the historic Chennai Beach station — from where the first metre-gauge train was operated to Tambaram — is likely to see a remarkable change.
Southern Railway Chief Public Relations Officer B. Guganesan said the ABSS is aimed at creating roof plazas and city centres by drawing up a master plan for stations. It also seeks to meet the needs of the stakeholders by upgrading amenities and introducing new ones. The master plan for all the 90 stations in the six divisions had been approved and tenders had been awarded for 35 stations. Tenders for the remaining 55 stations were being finalised. He said 12-metre-wide foot overbridges were planned at 13 stations; six of them were to be installed in the Chennai division alone. The total outlay for 148 projects at the 90 stations is ₹934 crore, with the four divisions in the State accounting for ₹630.47 crore.
Mr. Guganesan said improvements to the concourse, modification of the facade, station interior development, new platform shelters, passenger seating, and landscaping and gardening are among the projects identified.
LoAs issued in Tiruchi division
In the Tiruchi division, Letters of Acceptance (LoAs) have been issued for five out of the 15 stations. Railway sources said Srirangam, Lalgudi, Tirupadiripuliyur, Thanjavur Junction and Vellore Cantonment are the five stations for which LoAs had been issued to different agencies. Surveys in respect of improvement to the facilities and creation of new ones had been completed at all the 15 stations before tenders were invited for each. The LoAs would be issued for the remaining 10 stations very soon. In the Tiruchi division, the allocation of funds under this scheme ranges from ₹4 crore to ₹6 crore. The station development work will be supervised by Gati Shakti Unit. Officials expect the projects to be completed at these stations by the end of the financial year.
In the Salem division where major upgrades in passenger amenities and at stations have been long overdue, the 15 stations chosen based on the footfall and the earnings have been well received by the passengers. A senior official said a master plan for all the 15 stations had been approved and the tenders were being finalised for Karur, Bommidi, Chinna Salem, Morappur, Samalpatti, Tiruppur, Tirupathur, Coimbatore North and Podanur. A fresh tender has been called for Udagamandalam and Coonoor. The bids would be opened for Mettupalayam.
N. Subramanian, secretary of the Podanur Rail Users’ Association, and Member, Divisional Railway Users Consultative Committee, Salem Railway Division, said members of the public looked for an improved circulating area, accessibility to the main road and creation of the sixth platform at Podanur. J. Sathish, director, Kongu Global Forum, said the positive side of the ABSS was that all these sleepy-looking stations would look presentable with proper elevation, improved amenities and creation of facilities such as lift, escalators, sky-walk, and a better parking area. Alongside, the stoppage of express trains at important stations must be given due consideration.
A senior official of the Madurai division said LoAs had been issued for 10 stations, including Palani, Paramakudi, Ramanathapuram, Sholavandan, Virudhunagar, Rajapalayam, Srivilliputhur, Kovilpatti and Tenkasi. The tenders are being finalised for two stations, and are to be floated for three stations. But is there sufficient awareness of these projects? N. Arumugam, Karaikudi Season Ticket Train Passengers Association, said that even during the recent meeting of the Divisional Railway Users Consultative Committee, the projects under the ABSS were not explained to the members. He wanted toilets and lighting improved on platforms 3 and 4 at the Karaikudi station.
Ms. Sabeena, of Madurai District Differently Abled Persons Welfare Association, wanted battery-operated cars to be introduced at all stations for the differently abled persons to reach the end of the platforms and cross the track to reach the other platforms.
(With inputs from R. Rajaram from Tiruchi; R. Krishnamoorthy in Coimbatore; and S. Sundar in Madurai)
