Chennai Citizen Connect: Egmore Metro station lacks access for differently-abled

CHENNAI: Irrespective of Chennai Metro Rail's inclusivity compared to other transit services in the city, differently-abled persons still feel the brunt of gaps in making the service fully barrier-free.

The Madras High Court, in June 2021, ordered Metro Rail to make all its stations barrier-free to make the Chennai Metro Rail fully accessible to Persons with Disability (PwD). However, persons with disabilities who prefer CMRL services over other transit services claim their woes still persist.

Accessibility has become a pressing issue for differently-abled in all metro stations. Despite being in the proximity of Egmore station which handles thousands of passengers, Egmore Metro station is not accessible for differently-abled commuters.

Speaking to DT Next, Gnana Bharathi, a wheelchair user, recounted that when he reached Egmore Metro from Little Mount Metro on December 24, the lift to Egmore station was not working and he was forced to take a long route to use another lift.

Gnana Bharathi added, “The ordeal did not just end there. I had to seek the help of a passer-by to use the ramp to the Egmore railway station because the ramp was long and steep,” he added.

He recalled that his rather stressful journey did not end there as all the accessible ways differently-abled can use were suspended due to renovations or perhaps other reasons.

He explained, “Also, there was no way to go out of the last platform to reach the Egmore Metro station on my way back because bollards were blocking my route to the lift which leads to the Metro station.”

Meanwhile, a PwD activist pointed out that not just Metro Rail has accessibility issues, but all kinds of city transit services. The activist further added that the government departments are doing little to no intervention in the concerns raised by the public. Department officials did not respond when contacted.