Latest news with #S.Jayalakshmi
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
With air-conditioned trains, MRTS to be on a par with Metro Rail
After taking over the MRTS network, the Chennai Metro Rail plans to operate air-conditioned trains between Chennai Beach and Velachery. The Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has begun preliminary work, and will soon float bids for purchasing air-conditioned train sets for the MRTS network, and for upgrading the stations, sources said. Even if CMRL floats the tenders in a couple of months, it will take at least 18-24 months for the trains to be manufactured and delivered to the city, they added. The trains will likely be operated every seven minutes, and the signalling system will be switched to communications-based train control (the same system to be deployed in CMRL's phase II network), a source said. 'Significant overhaul' 'The State government feels that introducing air-conditioned coaches, improving the frequency, and revamping the stations will be a significant overhaul of the MRTS network, and enhance passenger comfort. The entire ecosystem will change, and monetising the spaces subsequently could fetch revenue. This will take a couple of years,' the source said. When asked if the fare structures would be revised, the sources said a decision would be taken later. Railways will continue to operate the network for two years. The fare structures will be finalised around the time the CMRL takes full control of the operations, the source said. Besides, the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to be signed between the Government of Tamil Nadu and Railways is getting ready. The first draft has been completed, and the initial round of discussion with the Railways is under way. If the consensus is reached soon, then, the MoU will be signed before the end of September, officials said. Many commuters are glad about the CMRL's takeover of MRTS, but want the fares to be reasonable. 'Lifts dysfunctional' S. Jayalakshmi, a resident of Adyar who frequently takes the MRTS trains, said, 'Most of us have had faced problems at the MRTS stations, which wear a dingy look. On many occasions, I have seen the lifts and escalators dysfunctional in some stations; the stations also stink sometimes, causing a lot of discomfort.' 'People are set to gain from upgrades such as air-conditioned trains and improved frequency. But the fares should be revised, keeping in mind the poor. Thousands of lower middle-class and the poor use the MRTS system. They can continue to travel if the fares are reasonable,' she added.
The Hindu
29-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Persons with disabilities find access to St. Thomas Mount station difficult
The St. Thomas Mount Railway station has undergone a makeover of sorts with an emphasis on improving passenger amenities. The initiative is part of the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS) project. The railway stations in the city that were constructed decades ago, and have since witnessed improvements in passenger amenities only in piecemeal, have undergone welcome changes, particularly with regard to the appearance of railway stations redeveloped and inaugurated under the ABSS. A total of 15 railway stations are under various stages of redevelopment under ABSS. The redeveloped station has an air-conditioned ticket counter, foot overbridges (FOBs), escalators, shelters, paved parking facility and newly built public conveniences, making commuters wonder if the stations were competing with metro stations. The redeveloped St. Thomas Mount railway station, which was inaugurated along with Sullurpetta by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 22, has, however, been a disappointment for persons with disabilities (PwDs). with regard to accessibility. S. Jayalakshmi, a person with disability, using the Mount railway station, lamented that the newly constructed ticket counter was located at the entrance of the station on Medavakkam Main Road, and the FOB with escalator near Karikalan street, at a distance that PwDs and senior citizens find difficult to cover. While the FOB had been linked to all the six platforms, the Metro, and the upcoming Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) stations, the escalators were, most of the time, not functioning, she said. Vaishnavi Jayakumar, a member of the Freedom Movement Coalition (FMC), said the first redeveloped ABSS station remains inaccessible to PwDs because of various deficiencies. She said the ramp to the ticket counter was paved with polished granite, rendering it unsafe, the platform height of suburban stations had not been increased, resulting in a huge gap, and the station lacked a designated parking space for PwDs. She failure to construct a ramped FOB despite ample space availability, absence of lowered ticket counter, and paved parking would pose severe hardships to passengers with reduced mobility. Also there is nodesignated parking. Ms. Jayakumar said that despite the FMC reaching out to the divisional railway manager in 2022 to ensure that stations were made accessible, neither was an accessibility consultant engaged, nor were detailed design drawings or plans shared. The commuters also wanted shelters along with seats to be installed at platforms 4 and 5. where the air conditioned train is normally stopped. A senior official of Southern Railway regarding the absence of escalators in certain platforms said a escalator connecting platforms 4 and 5 is being installed. An official of the Southern Railway said the redevelopment of the station is an evolving process and the complaints the accessibility would be addressed in the coming months.
