TIMES NEWS NETWORK
August 13
Chennai: Women com
muters in the city can henceforth enjoy hassle-free travel daily. Union home minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday flagged off the Chennai Beach-Tambaram ladies special suburban service at the Tambaram railway station. He also flagged off two other ladies special services — on the Chennai Beach-Arakonam route and on the Mass Rapid Transit System’s Chennai Beach-Velachery section — through video-conferencing.
These services come at a tim
These services come at a tim
e when the number of commuters travelling on the suburban sections has been growing tremendously. Southern Railway, in fact, experimented with such a service on the Chennai Beach-Tambaram sector a couple of years ago but soon withdrew it. Southern Railway general manager M S Jayanth said: “Every day, 4.5 lakh commuters travel by trains on the Chennai Beach-Tambaram route. When the service opened in 1932-33, 11,600 people used it daily. Patronage for MRTS had also increased with 75,000 commuters using the Beach-
Velachery services everyday,” he added.
He said the number of commuters was increasing in such a way that 20 counters and 100 employees would be required to cater to the everyday ticketing needs of commuters in the suburbs.
“We are planning to popularise smart card-enabled Automatic Ticket Vending Machines (ATVM). Machines from which commuters can buy tickets by inserting cash will come up on all suburban routes. The sale of smart cards has touched the 65,000 mark. It was 5,000 when the machines were introduced a year ago,” said Jayanth.
He said the number of commuters was increasing in such a way that 20 counters and 100 employees would be required to cater to the everyday ticketing needs of commuters in the suburbs.
“We are planning to popularise smart card-enabled Automatic Ticket Vending Machines (ATVM). Machines from which commuters can buy tickets by inserting cash will come up on all suburban routes. The sale of smart cards has touched the 65,000 mark. It was 5,000 when the machines were introduced a year ago,” said Jayanth.
Nine-car rakes are presently used to operate ladies specials. Chidambaram said he would request railway minister Mamata Banerjee to increase the number of coaches to 12. A nine-car rake can accommodate 4,000 people and a 12-car coach 6,000.
Railways had posted women ticket checkers and a woman guard as a symbolic gesture in the inaugural services. But, Chidambaram said that “the staff should be regularly employed in the services.”
Schedule of ladies special services: Tambaram-Chennai Beach — 8.37 am; Chennai Beach-Tambaram — 5.57 pm; Arakonam-Chennai Beach — 7 am; Chennai Beach-Arakonam — 5.50 pm; Chennai Beach-Velachery — 9 am; Velachery-Chennai Beach — 5.05 pm.
‘We need more such specials’
Chennai: On the first day, the the ladies special saw moderate rush of its patrons.
The women passengers were delighted about the special trains on the suburban network, but they also wanted the railways to attach more coaches for them in the regular suburban service. “I am happy that the railways have reintroduced the ladies special trains which were there a couple of years ago on the Tambaram-Chennai Beach route. But just two of them may not be enough,” said K Vidya, a passenger residing in Tambaram.
The special trains are likely to benefit those who travel point-to-point, for instance on the Tambaram-Beach section where the normal trains are usually so crowded that women find it difficult to board them from Pallavaram, St Thomas Mount and other stations.
Vijayalakshmi Rangamani, a commuter, said, “We can’t board regular trains as it come jampacked at the Thiruninravur railway station.”
But men TOI spoke to were not too happy as the railways had converted a regular service to a ladies special instead of introducing a new one. TNN
Railways had posted women ticket checkers and a woman guard as a symbolic gesture in the inaugural services. But, Chidambaram said that “the staff should be regularly employed in the services.”
Schedule of ladies special services: Tambaram-Chennai Beach — 8.37 am; Chennai Beach-Tambaram — 5.57 pm; Arakonam-Chennai Beach — 7 am; Chennai Beach-Arakonam — 5.50 pm; Chennai Beach-Velachery — 9 am; Velachery-Chennai Beach — 5.05 pm.
‘We need more such specials’
Chennai: On the first day, the the ladies special saw moderate rush of its patrons.
The women passengers were delighted about the special trains on the suburban network, but they also wanted the railways to attach more coaches for them in the regular suburban service. “I am happy that the railways have reintroduced the ladies special trains which were there a couple of years ago on the Tambaram-Chennai Beach route. But just two of them may not be enough,” said K Vidya, a passenger residing in Tambaram.
The special trains are likely to benefit those who travel point-to-point, for instance on the Tambaram-Beach section where the normal trains are usually so crowded that women find it difficult to board them from Pallavaram, St Thomas Mount and other stations.
Vijayalakshmi Rangamani, a commuter, said, “We can’t board regular trains as it come jampacked at the Thiruninravur railway station.”
But men TOI spoke to were not too happy as the railways had converted a regular service to a ladies special instead of introducing a new one. TNN
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