Train travelers irked by constricted passageway

Chennai, 20 February 2015 :Vehicles illegally parked at the main entrance of the Ambattur Railway Station leave walkers with little space to move about.  Concentration of petty shops at the entrance leave commuters with a narrow space beneath an FOB to reach the facility.

Those trespassing into railway property, including stations, are to be fined Rs. 250 under the Indian Railways Act 1989. But, the Ambattur railway station seems to be an exception to this rule.

Illegal parking and encroachment by petty shop owners at the entrance have gone unchecked for years. So serious is the problem that commuters are forced to take the narrow space beneath the foot over bridge (FOB) to reach the station daily.

An inadequate number of Railway Protection Force personnel at the station makes it convenient for petty shop owners to park their vehicles at the entrance of the railway station leaving no space for commuters to enter or exit.

Women and senior citizens are the most affected as they have to risk negotiating the narrow space near the FOB at the Bazzar Road. At the railway station, suburban trains do around 240 trips daily.

With surging crowds during morning and evening hours, commuters especially those who come from the Bazzar Road side find it difficult to enter or exit the station through the narrow space available. Repeated complaints to the local unit of the RPF have proved futile.

“Local traders are strong in the neighbourhood. Any attempt by our men to remove the illegal parking has always been unsuccessful mainly due to lack of sufficient personnel at the railway station,” said an RPF officer.

Every day, on an average, at least 50,000 commuters use the railway station to reach the city. It is a convenient transport hub as the nearest bus terminus from the station is at least five km away. Also, many prefer taking the train to travelling by the congested and accident prone CTH Road to reach the city.

“Suburban trains are the cheapest and fastest mode of transport to reach the city. But, facilities at the stations should also be improved for comfortable travelling,” said Gunaseelan, a commuter.