Five years ago, the railway station in Perambur was inspected by the then Union Minister of State for Railways, E. Ahamed, for basic facilities with the idea of introducing anything that was missing, including a possible site for a dedicated ticket counter for suburban commuters at the southern end of the station. Commuters are waiting for such a facility. Of the 21 railway stations between Basin Bridge and Tiruvallur on the northern rail line, Perambur and Tiruvallur are the only two that do not have ticket counters on platforms where suburban trains halt. In other words, ticket counters at these two railways stations are on the platforms meant for express and long-distance trains.
As a result, suburban commuters at these two stations either have to take the foot-over-bridge (FOB) or risk their limbs and lives by crossing the tracks to reach the platform where ticket counters are located.
At Perambur railway station, the ticket counter is on the northern side.
But the majority of commuters enter the station from its southern side in Jamaliya. Suburban commuters have to go to platform four to use the FOB and then reach platform one to buy tickets from the counter. Many such commuters were fined by ticket checking inspectors for not having platform tickets.
“Most of the railway stations on Chennai – Tiruvallur rail line have ticket counters on both sides of the stations making it easy for commuters, especially woman and elders, to board trains quickly. But, at Perambur and Tiruvallur, we have to walk a long way to buy tickets before boarding a suburban train,” said K.Saraswathi, a commuter from Perambur.
At stations in Nemilicherry, Hindu College, Tirumullaivoyal and Putlur, suburban commuters seek new ticket counters as ticket counters are located at the main entrances, in most of these stations.
In Perambur Loco Works station, a new ticket counter on the northern end of the station remains locked for many years now, due to staff shortage.
However, railway officials said the idea not to have more ticket counters was to encourage suburban commuters to use the automated ticket vending machines. Ironically, those machines at Perambur, Ambattur, Avadi, Thiruninravur and Pattaviram do not function for many months now.
Further, many have not come out of the practice of buying tickets.
“Inadequate funds and manpower are some of the reasons for not setting up ticket counters despite a growing demand for them from the commuters,” said a railway official.
