Second attempt: Southern Railway to revive failing EV stations in Chennai

CHENNAI: Of the 18 charging points set up by Southern Railway at local train stations across the city, most are in a near-abandoned state. A visit by DT Next to some of these stations revealed that the chargers are switched off. Local parking operators confirm they have been defunct for months. “We've never seen anyone use them,” said one staff member at the Velachery station.

Karthik, a regular commuter to Kotturpuram station, said, “The idea itself doesn’t work for me. Either I have to wait around or leave my bike under direct sunlight all day. There's no shelter here. It’s just easier and more convenient to charge at home.”

Launched in 2023 in partnership with Ather Energy, the charging points are maintained by third-party operators. However, even Ather’s helpline was unable to provide information on their operational status, and the company’s app does not show any of the railway station points as active.

In this context, Southern Railway is making a second attempt. The railway division has now decided to upgrade existing EV charging points and install new ones including battery swapping stations at 28 railway stations across Chennai.

A Southern Railway official said such extensive work is being undertaken only in the Chennai division of the Southern Railway. However, when asked about the poor management of the current project, the official attributed it to a tussle between contractors and grid operators and they had no part to play in it. They assured the facilities would be functional soon but did not comment further.

Of the 28 locations, eight are in the Chennai Beach–Tambaram–Chengalpattu section and seven are in the MRTS corridor. Battery swapping units can already be seen in several stations including Kotturpuram and Tirumayilai. Contracts have been awarded and work is set to begin shortly.