PATHANAMTHITTA: Thousands of passengers, including hundreds of regular commuters, who travel through Tiruvalla railway station every day are victims of gross neglect by the Railway authorities.
One of the largest revenue earning stations, including the goods traffic, the Tiruvalla station lacks basic facilities compared to similar stations in neighbouring Tamil Nadu or Karnataka.
Inadequate ticket counters, lack of drinking water supply on the platforms, absence of proper roofing at platforms and poor lighting system during night are the problems which need the urgent attention of the Railway authorities.
The passengers face an uphill task to get tickets from the current ticket and reservation counters of the station.
The people who want current tickets for travelling to the Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam directions are the worst sufferers since only two counters are there to deal with the long queues of passengers.
At times, people are forced to return home after waiting in the queue for nearly half-an-hour which cause them to miss the trains.
The situation at the counter for advanced reservation is beyond imagination since waiting time at the lone counter always exceeds one hour.
Though the people have petitioned the Railways through the elected representatives many times for opening more ticket counters, no action has been taken in this regard.
Absence of proper roof cover for platforms is another major problem. During monsoon the people bear the brunt since half the area of both the platforms are roofless.
The number of water taps on the platforms is inadequate and the installed ones often go without water for hours together. The quality of water coming through the taps is reportedly poor as no modern cleaning system has been set up by the Railway authorities .
Stop for long-distance trains vital: Being the lone station in Pathanamthitta district, Tiruvalla station is yet to get the Railway Ministry’s sanction for the halt of certain long-distance trains, including two recently-introduced Gareeb Rath and Thiruvanathapuram-Dehra Dun Express.
Absence of fully developed parking area at the station to park vehicles, including two-wheelers, is another major problem faced by daily commuters.