CHENNAI: Every day, N Srinivasan alights the suburban train around 7pm, switches on the torch on his mobile phone and walks across the tracks to reach a road that leads to his home on the northern side of Pattabiram railway station, around an hour’s trip by train from the city. Many others, including women, do the same, often stepping aside for express trains.
Putting themselves at risk has become an everyday affair for residents of this western suburb, as Southern Railway has been tardy in introducing and maintaining approach roads, subways and foot overbridges on Tiruvallur route. The reason: Railways is yet to form a separate body for managing suburban services though more than 20 lakh people use the 700 trains that are operated daily.
Pattabiram is the worst-hit station and reflects the plight of many others on the route.
Platforms don’t have shelters, the fl oors are poorly paved, station masters are missing, announcements are not made, approach roads are poor and foot overbridges do not cover all the tracks. At some stations, railways has improved lighting, but the work has not gone beyond that.
The Railway Passengers Association, TN Progressive Consumer Centre and commuters have been demanding a subway to help people from northern neighbourhoods of Pattabiram to access ticket counters. Roy Rozario, president, Rail Passengers Association, Pattabiram, said “Railways has not done anything after 2002.
The Chennai division has given three different replies to RTI applications asking for shelters on platform three – work under process for sanction, the area is under defence land and platform shelters have been provided as per railway board norms – in the past three years. ” T Sadagopan, a consumer activist, said, “Railways should form a separate body to manage suburban services,” he said.
A senior railway offi cer said handing over of MRTS to metro rail and collaborating with the state for AC suburban trains could be a beginning. A Elumalai, PRO, Chennai division of S Rly said : “Work is on to provide shelters, FOBs, subways, CCTVs and toilets at these suburban stations. ”
