TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Sept 30, 2008
Chennai: The Southern Railway has finalised plans to re-align platforms to equip the railway stations in Beach-Tambaram sector to handle broad gauge suburban trains. It will raise the height of the platforms to the level of the floor of the trains. Commuters, however, will have to put up with the dangerous gaps for at least another year because the railways is planning to take up one station at a time to prevent disruption to services.
When the sector was converted into broad gauge in 2004-05, the height of the platforms of the railway stations needed to be increased to match the floor level of the wider Electric Multiple Units (EMUs).
Though the construction wing of the railways completed the gauge conversion well within the deadline and the line was opened for service, the works to realign the platforms moved at snail’s pace and never got completed.
“The works co
Chennai: The Southern Railway has finalised plans to re-align platforms to equip the railway stations in Beach-Tambaram sector to handle broad gauge suburban trains. It will raise the height of the platforms to the level of the floor of the trains. Commuters, however, will have to put up with the dangerous gaps for at least another year because the railways is planning to take up one station at a time to prevent disruption to services.
When the sector was converted into broad gauge in 2004-05, the height of the platforms of the railway stations needed to be increased to match the floor level of the wider Electric Multiple Units (EMUs).
Though the construction wing of the railways completed the gauge conversion well within the deadline and the line was opened for service, the works to realign the platforms moved at snail’s pace and never got completed.
“The works co
uld not be continued further because trains started to run. But now, we have spotted close to 16 inches of vertic
al gap between the trains and the platforms at most of the stations. A report has been sent to the headqua
rters,” a railway official said.
However, the railways received lukewarm response to the two tenders they floated in the last three years. “We have finally received two response for the latest tender. We will finalise a constructor in 15 days,” said Southern Railway chief engineer (metropolitan transport projects) S N Agarwal.
DEADLY DIVIDE
Chennai Beach-Tambaram suburban section was converted to broad gauge in 2004-05
The gauge conversion helped railways accommodate more commuters in spacious trains
Daily commuter traffic has increased from 3.03 lakh in 2005-06 to 4.46 lakh in 2007-08
But platforms in the 18 stations in this sector are yet to be raised to the level of the floor of broad gauge trains, putting passengers at risk
However, the railways received lukewarm response to the two tenders they floated in the last three years. “We have finally received two response for the latest tender. We will finalise a constructor in 15 days,” said Southern Railway chief engineer (metropolitan transport projects) S N Agarwal.
DEADLY DIVIDE
Chennai Beach-Tambaram suburban section was converted to broad gauge in 2004-05
The gauge conversion helped railways accommodate more commuters in spacious trains
Daily commuter traffic has increased from 3.03 lakh in 2005-06 to 4.46 lakh in 2007-08
But platforms in the 18 stations in this sector are yet to be raised to the level of the floor of broad gauge trains, putting passengers at risk
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