Sans overbridge, commuters risk life and limb darting across tracks

Over 1,000 passengers who are using Tondiarpet railway station every day put their lives at risk, as they are forced to walk across the tracks due to the absence of a rail overbridge at the station. This is their biggest concern, besides which they also complain about the lack of basic amenities.

At the entrance, there is no name board. Instead, what welcomes the people is the debris dumped here. Because of this, those who are new to the area have difficulty in recognising the station. “It took more than 30 minutes for us to reach the station from Apollo hospital, as we were searching for it. The route is so confusing and because it is a weekend, it was hard to get an auto after a point. It would be particularly difficult for people travelling during night time,” said Poonkudi K, another passenger.

There is no parking facility at the station for those wanting to take the train. And those dependent on public transport must walk a kilometre to reach the nearby bus stop or auto rickshaw stand.

As is the case with other stations in north Chennai, there is no announcement made during arrival of trains. Though washrooms have been built separately for men and women inside the station, they remain locked with construction materials dumped inside. In the absence of dustbins, commuters have no other option but to throw waste thus leading to litter in the station premise. The digital clock there has been fixed recently, but it was not working when DT Next visited the premise.

“Earlier, there were only two tracks. Recently two more tracks were added in the station, but there still is no over-bridge. Elderly people and differently-abled persons find it difficult to cross the track. As there is no announcement made when trains are arriving, people have to run while crossing the tracks. Sometimes they even fall and hurt themselves,” said Gnanaprakasam, a regular passenger.

The station is also not disabled-friendly. It does not have any ramps, and differently-abled passengers have no choice but struggle to get into the station crossing the track or use the stairs to reach the platform. The only respite is that there are roofs for both the platforms in the station, sheltering them from sun and showers.

The Railway Police Force (RPF) personnel are present throughout the day in three shifts. “Earlier, there were at least 4-5 cases like mobile phone and chain snatching. Three months ago, the Railway authorities installed LED lights everywhere in the station to avoid crimes. At least three RPF personnel along with local police will be in the station for public safety,” said an RPF officer.

Speaking to DT Next, Tondiarpet station master said, “The work for overbridge will start within few months. We had put the work on hold because the new railway track was being laid. As there is a problem with it, the repair work is in process. The announcement of trains is made regularly at peak hours. Within a few months, we will put up the name board and construct the overbridge.”