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The third terminal at Tambaram station remains a non-starter
Southern Railway made the announcement in 2016. More than four years have passed since the Railway Ministry posted the Railway Land Development Authority to ready the detailed project report, but not much progress has been made, say activists and commuters
The redevelopment of the Tambaram station is yet to gather pace. As part of the yard remodelling, two new platforms are being developed to accommodate the mail and express trains. But the work is tardy.
Southern Railway announced Tambaram as the third railway terminal in the city more than five years ago and started operating express and mail trains from there. But the commuters say little has changed in amenities. When Southern Railway made the Tambaram station the third terminal in 2016, commuters hoped for escalators, a footbridge, ramps, and battery cars, besides an improvement to the parking lots. But the amenities remain poor, with senior citizens suffering the most.
Gateway to south Chennai
Social activist Dayanand Krishnan says the station is the gateway to south Chennai as passengers travelling from the southern parts of Tamil Nadu in omni-buses land here. The station, which handles seven crore passengers a year, has been slotted in the non-suburban group-1. It is the fourth largest revenue-generating station, with ₹233 crore. But the station does not have even basic amenities like escalators, lifts, ramps for persons with disabilities, air-conditioned waiting rooms, and public conveniences.
Residents and activists complain about the slow progress of the redevelopment, starting from the preparation of the detailed project report (DPR). Regular commuters point out that more than four years have passed since the Railway Ministry posted the Railway Land Development Authority (RLDA) to ready the DPR, but not much progress has been made.
Question under RTI Act
The residents sought details under the Right to Information Act, and according to the reply, the preparation of the DPR was awarded to a private company in August 2020 at the cost of over ₹43,46,000. But the report is yet to be submitted. Recently, the company published an architectural exterior of the station, to be redeveloped at a cost of ₹1,000 crore. However, with no progress, thousands of passengers suffer from lack of amenities at the station, which handles 3 lakh commuters daily.
Transport activist V. Rama Rao urges Southern Railway to expedite the DPR preparation. He wants the station to be redeveloped with air-conditioned waiting rooms, a lounge, a food court, an emergency medical care unit, digital display boards and closed circuit television cameras.
‘No monitoring’
The suburban commuters and long-distance passengers find it difficult to access the platforms with the old footbridge, which is crowded, and the construction of a new footbridge remaining incomplete. Commuters say the construction of the new footbridge was started two years ago, and the work is still in progress. There is no proper monitoring of the project, they say. As a result, senior citizens and persons with disability are hard put to it to reach platform no. 5, 6, 7 and 8 for boarding the long-distance trains. Furthermore, these platforms are not only narrow but also in a bad condition. The construction of new platforms is also tardy, they say.
Passengers also highlight the poor access to the station from the eastern side on Velachery Main Road. Despite the availability of large vacant space there, an access road for entry and exit has resulted in traffic congestion. Adding to the problem of commuters coming by vehicles is the parking of autorickshaws and taxis and encroachment by vendors.
T. Murugan, a regular commuter, says there is no proper arrangement on the eastern side for cars to pick up or drop passengers because of vehicles parked on the access road.
A. Elumalai, Public Relations Officer of the Chennai Division of Southern Railway, says the Tambaram Yard remodelling is the first step towards the full-fledged redevelopment of the station. The yard needs to be upgraded to take in more trains and ensure smooth operation of suburban train services before the redevelopment.
Platforms being developed
As part of the yard remodelling, for which suburban, mail, and express trains have been cancelled, two new platforms are being developed to accommodate the mail and express trains. They will help to increase the passenger capacity and reduce congestion. The work involves the construction of a new crossover to facilitate train operational flexibility and efficiency and the realigning of road no. 8 to help in faster operation of trains (from 15 kilometres per hour to 50) for the down-direction trains. The platform no. 7 and 8 are to be widened to increase passenger amenities and comfort. These upgrades will improve the overall operational efficiency and passenger experience at Tambaram, Mr. Elumalai says.
Railway officials say that considering the cancellation of 43 suburban services from Beach to Tambaram and Chengalpattu, the Chennai Division will operate shuttle services from Beach to Pallavaram and vice versa. Shuttle services between Chengalpattu and Guduvancheri will also be operated.
Blueprint submitted
A senior official of Southern Railway says the Railway Land Development Authority (RLDA) has submitted to the Railway Board a blueprint for the redevelopment of the Tambaram station. The Railway Board has forwarded the blueprint to the Railway Ministry. Once the Railway Ministry clears the plan and allots funds, the plan will be scrutinised by Southern Railway and work will begin.
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