Chennai suburban stations : To get new amenities

Meeting passenger demands has always been an onerous task for the Railways.

After years of battling with the authorities, residents in the suburbs feel the amenities at their railway stations are improving. The private-public partnership in maintaining the railway station at Paranur, a tiny village near Chengalpattu, is working well.

Mahindra World City Developers (MWCD) had joined hands with Southern Railway to give the dreary station a makeover, after Mahindra World City, an integrated business zone, came up there.

MWCD has spent Rs. 1.5 crore on the project and also meets the recurring expenditure of maintaining and protecting the facility.

Considering that the station is the gateway to Mahindra World City and used by 40 per cent of its workforce, it is money well spent for the company.

The reconstruction of a foot overbridge at Pallavaram, escalators at Tambaram and airport connectivity from Tirusoolam station are some of the other landmark changes in the past two years.

At Tambaram, a pedestrian foot overbridge connecting east and west Tambaram, at a cost of Rs. 1.2 crore, is in the offing. The existing foot overbridge is always congested and poses serious security problems to rail commuters.

A senior Railway official said a 10-line digital announcement board on the western side and another five-line board will be set up in the next few days. Online reservation for retiring rooms has also been arranged.

Suburban train commuters wanted Southern Railway to part with its earnings to improve passenger amenities such as toilet blocks, 24-hour water supply and security. 

Rail Passengers Forum members had suggested there should be more passenger security at suburban railway stations which witness a number of petty offences.

The present strength of Railway Protection Force and Government Railway Police is not enough to prevent such crimes, they said.

H 5 Nov 2014