Title - Mini platform to accommodate 12-car rakes

Work on creating an alighting point, or a mini platform at the Perungalathur railway station, is on for the convenience of passengers arriving in 12-car rakes of suburban electric trains. The platform at present is long enough to accommodate only nine-car rakes and the first three compartments on both directions — towards Chingleput and Tambaram — come to a halt a good distance beyond the platform. In 2008, Southern Railway started operating 12-car rakes on the Chennai Beach-Tambaram-Chingleput-Tirumalpur sector. Among all the railway stations between Chennai Beach and Chingleput, the platform at Perungalathur railway station alone is not long enough to accommodate all compartments of the 12-car rakes.

Peculiar problem
Unlike other railway stations, the peculiar problem at Perungalathur is that there are level crossings on either side of the platform, quite close to the end. While the one on the northern end of the platform (LC No. 32) comes within the Peerkankaranai Town Panchayat limits, the one on the southern end (LC No. 33) comes under the jurisdiction of Perungalathur Town Panchayat. Since the operation of the 12-car rakes, the Southern Railway planned to extend the platform's length but it required closing down one of the level crossings. Residents of both Perungalathur and Peerkankaranai protested this. Recently, the Southern Railway decided to create the ‘mini platform' without cutting off access to pedestrians and vehicles. It is being constructed at the northern end of the platform and would be of normal height. Southern Railway officials said the level crossing (LC No. 32) will not be closed and that motorists can continue to use the facility.

Problems of commuters

S. Srinivasan, an employee of UCO Bank, said that commuters face tremendous problems while boarding trains at the Perungalathur railway station. The ticket counter is located at the far end of the platform, once used by meter guage trains. After buying the ticket, commuters have to trek back to the broad guage platforms.

The public toilet, which is also on the meter guage platform, has been closed for several years, Mr. Srinivasan said, appealing to the Southern Railway to attach greater importance to passenger amenities at railway stations in the southern suburbs beyond Tambaram.

 Level crossings located very close to platforms are seen commonly in many locations on the Chingleput-Tindivanam sector and the Southern Railway has been carrying out similar measures in such places, until road over bridges or subways are built to replace these level crossings.

There is a sanctioned project, at an estimated cost of Rs. 72 crores, to replace the level crossings on both the sides of Perungalathur railway station. Until the project commences, the Southern Railway has decided to go ahead with the mini platform.