CHENNAI: The continued non-functioning of escalators at the St Thomas Mount EMU railway station has caused inconvenience to thousands of daily commuters, particularly senior citizens and women, despite the station having been redeveloped under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.
Commuters alleged that all four escalators at the station remained out of service on Saturday, affecting access to platforms 1 and 2, platforms 3 and 4, and the two-wheeler parking area.
They said only one escalator on platforms 1 and 2 had functioned briefly on Friday. Passengers said the non-operation of the escalators had made it difficult for commuters carrying luggage and elderly persons to access the platforms using staircases.
“It is difficult for us to climb the staircases and it becomes exhausting,” said S Kamala, a regular commuter, urging railway officials to restore the facilities at the earliest.
Bharani Kavin, a resident of Guduvanchery, said the issue had persisted even after the station’s redevelopment works under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.
Commuters pointed out that with the MRTS station functioning at St Thomas Mount, ensuring accessibility at the interchange station had become more important. E Ramachandran of Tambaram said, “Escalators have mostly remained non-functional whenever I’ve visited the station.”
A Southern Railway official said the issue would be “attended to on priority to ease commuters’ difficulties and that officials concerned would be informed to rectify the problem”.