RailEnquiry

Raju was travelling to Chennai from his hometown in one of the southern districts. He got off his bus at Chengalpattu and then boarded an EMU(Electrical Multiple Units) train to reach Perungalathur. The train reached the destination, but he was stuck in the train. The 12-car train had stopped few yards away from the platform.Like most of his fellow-passengers he jumped out on to the track ans sustained minor bruises.Raju sought to find out why the train did not halt at the platform. He learnt that the two platforms at the Perungalathur station were long enough only for trains with 9 cars.This is a major problem being faced by commuters at the station. Over 75 trains that stop here have 12 compartments and the platforms are not long enough for them.As a result, the first three compartments are ignored, and commuters make a dash fo the others.Sources said this was the only station on the EMU section where 12-car trains stop, leaving no space on the platform for three compartments. A Southern Railway official said attempts were being made to solve this problem. And a few others, too. The platform can be extended after a road over-bridge is built, he said.A pedestrian subway will mitigate the problems faced by commuters. The projects which involve two village panchayats, State Highways Department and Railways, need to start rolling at the earliest, say commuters. Once completed, it will be a boon to around 15,000 people boarding and alighting at the Perungalathur railway station.