Tirusulam railway station cries for attention

CHENNAI: Despite being one of the most important connecting spots in the suburbs, the Tirusulam Railway Station is in a bad shape.

Notwithstanding its proximity to Chennai International Airport, the station fails to address demands of passengers, especially women, who said that the station was unsafe for them at night.

Tirusulam is the only place in the city which has a railway station, bus stop, airport, and a Metro station – all within a kilometre radius. Thousands of commuters use the station, including air passengers.

In 2017, after the Metro train services were started, commuters used to travel to Tirusulam in the EMU and from there, they’d take the Metro to the city. Sources said that the footfall was around 30,000/day in the station, as many air passengers take the EMU to avoid city traffic and reach the airport on time.

Regular commuters said that the station did not have basic facilities. It doesn’t even a canteen. Even restrooms in the station were closed on most days. There is a separate restroom for people with disability but that’s being used only by the railway staff. Even if the restroom was kept open, Rs 50 was collected from commuters. Commuters and airport staff, especially women, feel unsafe to use the EMU at night. “The third and fourth platforms are occupied by anti-socials, and have very bad lighting that makes the ambience suitable for the anti-socials. There’s no RPF personnel or CCTV cameras in the station yet,” said one of the woman staff. “The subway that connects the station with the airport would also remain dark at night.”

There are speakers for announcements, but those remain unused. Commuters said they had not heard any announcements for several years. “Announcements help us know if the approaching train is from Tambaram or Chengalpattu EMU,” a commuter said.

While the other side of the airport was growing with the latest amenities and tech for passengers, it’s appalling that a railway station that connects the public to the airport does not even have even the basics.

Tirusulam railway station was inaugurated in 1931, and hasn’t seen many developments. “Being a place that connects people to the international airport, the station should have had the latest facilities that’d attract every passengers from the airport – both from other states and countries,” said a regular commuter.

When contacted, an official of the Southern Railway said: “There are plans to upgrade the Tirusulam railway station, which would be implemented soon and completed by next year. We’ll take steps to deploy RPF in the station at night and ensure the station is well lit.”