Residents’ wishlist: Tips on how to make Perambur railway station user-friendly

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damaged wall
Boundary wall across the station suffers from injury. Pic: Raghukumar Choodamani

Perambur railway station is without doubt one of the essential stations within the Chennai Suburban Railway community. When it comes to commuter site visitors, it’s the fifth largest station in Chennai, after Chennai Central, Egmore, Tambaram and Mambalam. All the suburban trains passing by way of this station, besides one or two, halt right here, and most of the long-distance trains even have a stoppage at this station.

Perambur Railway Station can also be the second oldest within the metropolis after Royapuram railway station. The station was initially constructed within the 1860s to cater to staff at Southern Railway’s locomotive, carriage, wagon and coach-building workshops. 

The station which was a “B” Class Station was not too long ago upgraded to a “Particular” Class Station and various growth actions have been undertaken to enhance the prevailing infrastructure of the railway station. These included the development of a ready room for higher class passengers, a cloak room, parcel workplace, bogs, reserving workplace and a few modifications within the parking. 

Through the years, socially aware residents have highlighted numerous points and shortcomings that have an effect on commuters utilizing the station. Whereas some points have been addressed, others nonetheless stay unheeded.

Points with boundary partitions of Perambur station

Whereas the main target was on developing new buildings, little is being performed to keep up the prevailing infrastructure. On November 28, 2021 a stretch of the compound wall alongside the railway tracks on Perambur Excessive Highway – North Facet collapsed. A variety of building particles had been dumped through the years between the platform and the compound wall and various timber have grown on this space. A number of timber have additionally grown over the compound wall and the roots are certain to weaken the wall in different stretches as nicely.

Seeing the precarious state of the boundary wall, the residents underneath the banner of Group Welfare Brigade W70Z6, Perambur filed a petition calling for motion on the very day that part of it collapsed. Subsequent to the petition filed, we acquired a name from the DRM’s workplace, who organized to have the particles from the crashed compound wall eliminated and the work was accomplished virtually instantly. 

Tree near the boundary wall of perambur station
Bushes are discovered alongside the partitions, inflicting injury. Pic: Raghukumar Choodamani
tree along boundary wall of perambur station
Damages to the wall will be discovered alongside the boundary. Pic: Raghukumar Choodamani

The subsequent day a workforce of contract staff have been seen pruning a number of the timber which had grown alongside the compound wall. They managed to prune just a few timber nearer to the placement the place the wall had collapsed. An uprooted tree was leaning over the steel shelter on platform no 1 and this was additionally pruned.  The remainder of the timber which have their roots over and close to the compound wall have been left behind as it’s.

We took up the problem with the DRM’s workplace as soon as once more and acquired a response to the impact that “motion shall be taken primarily based on the extant guidelines in drive relating to felling and slicing of timber”. 

On condition that the timber are rising on the wall, we’re involved in regards to the security of the commuters  within the occasion of the timber collapsing. All the stretch of the compound wall was initially constructed with bricks a number of a long time in the past and has been broken at a number of areas. All the wall is certain to break down in some unspecified time in the future in time if the problems we now have identified should not attended to in time. We have now despatched a suggestion to the Railway Administration to contemplate reconstructing the broken portion of the compound with a correct concrete wall after offering vital reinforcements.


Learn extra: That is what Perambur residents need from their new MLA


Exit ramps, incomplete partitions and outdated underpass

There are two areas between the exit ramp on the japanese finish of the Perambur Railway Station and the Perambur Bus Terminus, the place the commuters have positioned concrete blocks alongside the compound wall and use it extensively as a shortcut to enter or exit the railway platform. We advise that an exit be supplied nearer to the Perambur Bus Terminus in order that such cases could also be prevented.

commuters use the boundary wall to exit perambur station
Ramps would assist commuters exit the station. Pic: Raghukumar Choodamani

The development of the wall between the Vyasarpadi Jeeva Station and the Arundathi Nagar Railway underpass was taken up in 2019 earlier than the Parliamentary Elections and accomplished inside a number of weeks.  Later the work on the development of the wall between Arundhathi Nagar Railway underpass and Perambur Bus Terminus was taken up and the pits for the inspiration have been dug up. Sadly this work needed to be stalled as a result of onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

We urge the railway administration to renew the work on the development of the compound wall and shield the property owned by the railways which is now getting used as a dump yard for rubbish and building particles and is a breeding floor for stray animals.

garbage and construction debris
Particles and rubbish dumped close to the station. Pic: Raghukumar Choodamani
garbage dumping near perambur station
Stray pigs will be discovered across the rubbish dumped close to the station. Pic: Raghukumar Choodamani

The pure waterway between the compound wall and the railway tracks which drains the flood water into the Buckingham Canal additionally must be desilted and restored to stop inundation throughout the monsoon.

The Railway officers had promised to look into the potential of renovating the Railway underpass close to Arundathi Nagar however there was no change within the state of affairs to this point. Given the excessive density of site visitors by way of this slender underpass throughout the peak hours we propose that the underpass be widened and deepened. 


Learn extra: A residents’ site visitors plan for Perambur Excessive Highway


Pedestrian Subway renovation nearing completion

Tales have additionally been written in regards to the pedestrian subway close to the Perambur Bus Terminus and the Railway underpass close to Arundathi Nagar which connects Perambur Excessive Highway – North with South.  These subways have been in horrible situation during the last couple of years and a number of other petitions needed to be lodged. We additionally escalated the problem by way of the media. 

In response to our petitions the Railway Administration replied stating that the Pedestrian Subway had been handed over to the Better Chennai Company a number of years in the past and we must elevate our considerations with the involved authorities.  

pedestrian subway renovation
Renovation of the pedestrian subway is underway after repeated calls for. Pic: Raghukumar Choodamani

On behalf of the residents, the members of Group Welfare Brigade – W70Z6 submitted a constitution of calls for to the then and now sitting MLA earlier than the meeting elections earlier this yr, highlighting all problems with public curiosity. We’re glad the work to renovate the subway has been taken up and is nearing completion.

By participating actively with the officers we now have managed to resolve a number of problems with public curiosity again and again. Public participation in civic infrastructure tasks is the way in which forward, because it promotes democracy in public administration. Given the excessive footfall seen in Perambur railway station, swift motion on the problems outlined will profit the commuters and forestall mishaps. 

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