CHENNAI: Passengers at Tambaram railway station continue to face difficulties due to the absence of lift facilities across its platforms, with senior citizens, persons with disabilities, women, children and travellers carrying luggage bearing the brunt of the inconvenience.

The station, one of the busiest suburban railway hubs across Tamil Nadu and the third-largest rail terminal in Chennai, after Central and Egmore stations, handles lakhs of passengers on a daily basis.

While escalators are available on the existing foot overbridge (FoB) connecting Platforms 1A to 4 and the eastern and western entrances, platforms 5-10 do not have escalator access. None of the platforms from 1A to 10 have elevators.

The lack of accessibility has become a major concern, particularly because several express trains arrive and depart from Platforms 5-10. Passengers with heavy luggage are often forced to negotiate steep staircases on the FoBs to move between platforms.

“The absence of elevators affects the safe and convenient movement of senior citizens, persons with disabilities, women travelling with children and those carrying baggage,” said Kumar, a passenger. “This issue has persisted for years despite neighbouring stations such as Tambaram Sanatorium and Pallavaram having better facilities. Many passengers struggle to use the FoBs, while some even cross the tracks putting their lives at risk.”

Another passenger, Jeevarathinam, said that the situation worsens during peak hours when passenger movement is at its highest. “However, the new FoB under construction is expected to ease congestion once it becomes operational,” he said.

Railway officials told DT Next that installing lifts and escalators on the existing foot overbridge was not feasible because of space constraints. As part of a Rs 24-crore station modernisation and passenger amenities project, a new 8-metre-wide FoB connecting all 10 platforms is being constructed. The project includes 9 lifts and 10 escalators, aimed at improving accessibility, passenger convenience and mobility within the station.

Officials said that the new infrastructure is expected to address long-standing concerns and provide seamless movement for passengers across the station.