Chennai: Looking to provide a hassle-free detraining and entraining for passengers, especially elderly commuters, platforms adjacent to footboards are being elevated at major stations, including Avadi, Tiruvallur and Villivakkam.
The railways are using red tiles at a height of 3 to 3.5 inches to bridge the gap between the platform and train.
“The elevation of the platform edges is a welcome step since in these stations there have been a number of cases where commuters have lost their balance and got injured while detraining during late hours,” said M. Prakashan, a regular commuter from Avadi to Central station.
The platform elevation is part of ongoing infrastructure projects that include new waiting rooms at terminals and at various points on stations, new water tanks at three stations.
The initiative comes in line with the railway ministry’s proposed spending in infrastructure and cleanliness in the 2015-16 railway budget.
These three have been chosen as they attract maximum footfall among all suburban stations between Chennai central and Tiruvallur.
“Four stations were specially selected in the initial phase as these attracts the maximum footfall with a monthly revenue ranging from Rs 80 lakh to 1 crore.
Also, construction works in these stations are undertaken on a contract basis as a lot of projects such as waiting rooms, bathrooms, eateries are coming up,” said a senior official at the commercial department, Southern Railway.
Accordingly, Perambur, Villivakkam, Avadi and Tiruvallur have been awarded contracts worth Rs 5-5.5 crore for which the work is nearing completion, the official added.
Also, at Avadi, Tiruvallur and Villivakkam stations new bathrooms, waiting rooms, overhead tanks, seating and lighting facilities have been opened in the last three weeks. In Avadi station, a new relay room has been opened with advanced facilities.
“The new relay room will troubleshoot any error in signaling in five to ten minutes unlike earlier where it used to take up to 45 minutes,” said G.K Manoharan, duty station master, Avadi.
Work at these four stations is estimated to conclude by the end of March, officials told DC.
