CHENNAI: Inundated subways, non-functional escalators, locked bathrooms, and tipplers on platforms have turned Tambaram Sanatorium railway station into a nightmare for commuters.
The station serves as a transport hub connecting Chennai’s suburban areas to the city. The renovation work carried out last year aimed to prevent waterlogging, but commuters continue to wade through inundated subways.
“Aren’t these subways supposed to make access to platforms better? It has not even rained today or last night, but water is always stagnant here,” said resident Ashok S.
However, when it rains, the roofs of the subway are leaky. Many of the tiles have cracked over time. Vendors have hung makeshift plastic sheets, but they are often just as soaked as the commuters. Besides the vendors, tipplers have taken over the subway, especially at night. Commuters do not feel safe to navigate through the subway. Vandana Krishnan, a commuter said, “Whenever I return from work, I dread walking in the subway. There are always drunk men and I feel anxious.” Commuters like her felt hopeful when Southern Railways began constructing a foot-over-bridge for better access to the station.
But their promises of improved connectivity to the railway station have also failed to materialise, leaving people frustrated. The project, with an estimated cost of 4 crore, began in 2021 but is yet to be completed.
A railway official said he will instruct the maintenance and engineering staff of the Tambaram Sanatorium railway station to monitor the subway for water stagnation and pump out the water. The foot over-bridge will also be completed in a few months, he added. But the promises have been on for the last few months.
Meanwhile, citizen-activist Dayanand Krishnan said, “Until the divisional railway manager takes a decisive disciplinary action against the staff responsible for the delay and conducts field visits to oversee the completion of this foot over-bridge, it will remain an unfinished project.”
The station serves as a transport hub connecting Chennai’s suburban areas to the city. The renovation work carried out last year aimed to prevent waterlogging, but commuters continue to wade through inundated subways.
“Aren’t these subways supposed to make access to platforms better? It has not even rained today or last night, but water is always stagnant here,” said resident Ashok S.
However, when it rains, the roofs of the subway are leaky. Many of the tiles have cracked over time. Vendors have hung makeshift plastic sheets, but they are often just as soaked as the commuters. Besides the vendors, tipplers have taken over the subway, especially at night. Commuters do not feel safe to navigate through the subway. Vandana Krishnan, a commuter said, “Whenever I return from work, I dread walking in the subway. There are always drunk men and I feel anxious.” Commuters like her felt hopeful when Southern Railways began constructing a foot-over-bridge for better access to the station.
But their promises of improved connectivity to the railway station have also failed to materialise, leaving people frustrated. The project, with an estimated cost of 4 crore, began in 2021 but is yet to be completed.
A railway official said he will instruct the maintenance and engineering staff of the Tambaram Sanatorium railway station to monitor the subway for water stagnation and pump out the water. The foot over-bridge will also be completed in a few months, he added. But the promises have been on for the last few months.
Meanwhile, citizen-activist Dayanand Krishnan said, “Until the divisional railway manager takes a decisive disciplinary action against the staff responsible for the delay and conducts field visits to oversee the completion of this foot over-bridge, it will remain an unfinished project.”
