Delay in commissioning lifts puts aged, sick passengers in difficult situation

Delay in commissioning lifts at Ramanathapuram railway station causing inconvenience for passengers, especially elderly and sick.

 Delay in commissioning of two lifts installed at Ramanathapuram railway station in June is forcing the aged and the sick passengers to make extra efforts to climb up and down long fleets of steps to reach platform 2/3 from platform 1 and vice versa. 

A retired school teacher, S. Gandhimathi (62) of Madurai, who came to board the Madurai-bound passenger train on Tuesday evening, complained that several passengers faced difficulties in climbing up and down the staircases of the foot overbridge. 

“If the lifts were put to use, the passengers would be spared of their ordeals,” she said. 

While the express trains are being operated on platform one giving easy access to passengers, Madurai passenger trains are regularly operated on platform three. 

The weekly express trains are operated from platform two. “When goods trains are received on platform three, the passenger trains are taken through platform two, a railway official said. 

Southern Railway has been providing lifts to FOBs in major railway stations in order to provide easy access to the children, aged and the differently abled persons. 

“Passengers now have to climb up some 30 steps and another 30 steps to climb down the FOB to reach platform 2/3 from platform one and vice versa,” the official said.