EMU train commuters complain about never-ending woes at Tiruvallur railway station

TIRUVALLUR: The Tiruvallur railway station is one of the busiest stations with over 1.60 lakh passengers travelling in 128 trains every day. But, passengers’ travelling in the EMU (Electric Multiple Unit) trains on a daily basis have raised several grievances.

The ticket counter at John Bosco College Road has been closed for over a year. The condition of the pedestrian subway is terrible, and the painstakingly slow expansion work of the railway station under Amrita Bharath Station Scheme (introduced to modernise railway stations from December last year) adds to the woes.

A Sundaram, a resident of Manavalanagar, who travels four days a week to Chennai laments over the additional cost of ticket he has been paying due to the closure of the ticket counter on John Bosco College Road. “There’s a ticket counter that’s operating just 300 metres away from the original facility. It sells tickets for Rs 12 instead of the original amount of Rs 10 for a single way to Chennai Central. If the original counter was open, the public wouldn’t have to shell out additional cash, even if it’s just Rs 2,” said Sundaram.

Additionally, the poorly-constructed pedestrian subway, which connects both sides of the stations and all platforms, came to public use last year. But soon after the inauguration, the roof began leaking during the rainy season, inundated the floor and made it slippery.

“After innumerable complaints from commuters and residents, the Southern Railway built this subway but what’s the point? Even for a light rain, water leaks through the crack and floods the subway. But, now in the hot weather, we’re facing another problem. The subway is not cleaned and stinks throughout the day, every day,” explained Jayapal Raj, a member of Divisional Railway Users’ Consultative Committee (DRUCC).

He further went on to request a ramp facility for the subway, ensuring full accessibility for persons with disability. “It is hard for the disabled to use the staircase. Also, the closed gates on the tracks are mostly open for them to cross the platforms but that’s a huge safety risk,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Shiny Matilda, a commuter working in West Mambalam slammed the lack of elevator facility at a station that boasts of six platforms. “Senior citizens and pregnant women find it difficult to travel with heavy luggage. Hence, we urge the SR to construct an elevator at the earliest,” said Shiny.

A few other passengers requested new toilets, waiting rooms and a breastfeeding room at the station. “Right now, a pay-and-use toilet facility is available for passengers on the third platform but they have to walk a long distance to get there. This is difficult for pregnant and lactating women. Hence, the requests should be fulfilled,” said a teenage passenger.

Meanwhile, motorists highlight the problems they face due to a rather slow expansion work of the station. “The SR collects Rs 15/bike for 12 hours, but fails to provide a proper parking facility for us. Earlier, we parked our bikes in the shade, but now due to the construction work, all the trees have been cut by the railway department,” pointed out Dili Anand, a regular commuter.

Commenting on these issues, a SR official said: “Due to the ongoing construction work under the Amrita Bharath Station Scheme at the station, the ticket counter was closed at Don Bosco College Road, and so was the toilet. The long-term request for lift facilities will be implemented soon under this scheme. Also, a team of engineers are working to sort out the leaky roof of the subway.”