Chennai: Poor railway infrastructure and a sea of garbage dumped by residents near suburban train stations in areas like Washermanpet, Perambur Carriage Works, Korukkupet and Tambaram sanatorium plague rail commuters in these areas.
At Washermanpet, there is no defined entry or exit to the station and instead of using a bridge on the eastern side of the station that has been long facing neglect, commuters reach the station through a lane next to a garbage dump.
The station has been undergoing construction works from over a year, as informed by commuters. The place is now a mess of ballast, jointers and other metal parts of the construction work next to the platform.
“Commuters have been using the way created by a collapsed wall for over a year and it does not have a proper entrance or exit to the main road. People find it quite difficult to climb up the wall and go to the other side but there are no other options. This shows that the station is not given any significance by Southern Railway,” S. Prabhu, a regular commuter and a nearby resident in Washermanpet, said.
Perambur Carriage Works and Perambur Loco Works stations have a similar problem. There are ways to climb to the bridges that lead to the main road. But people prefer crossing the tracks to reach the main road.
Perambur Carriage station is not properly lit and making it unsafe too. Theft and pick pocketing activities are very frequent in the areas. Railway officials from the electrical department said they have not been informed of any proposal from superior authorities. When enquired about the troubles faced by commuters daily, the officials assured that they would take this into consideration.
Southern Railway officials informed that these stations are undergoing advancement and development of infrastructure. The problem will soon be resolved and some proposals are pending relating to the development of local stations on Beach-Arakkonam line.
“The railways have already taken up several steps to improve provisions for public at the stations. The general board and electrical board will soon end the woes of people,” said the official.
