MADURAI: The wait for a rail overbridge at Thirumangalam-Periya Alangaulam road, which leads to Madurai airport and Madurai-Thoothukudi road, has been a long one for the residents.
"Every day, the manned railway gate would close for over 20 minutes in the morning to let trains pass. This road is the only way for residents to leave and return to Thirumangalam. Students, office staff and others are facing challenges to reach their destination on time as vehicular movement is stopped in the wee hours. Hence, Southern Railway should take the necessary steps for constructing an over-bridge here," said Chokkalingam.
Dakshin Railway Employees Union Divisional Joint Secretary R Sankara Narayanan said the Madurai - Thirumangalam stretch is a double-line track. "During the morning peak hours, trains such as the Tirunelveli - Erode, Mysore- Thoothukudi, Triuchy - Trivendrum, Tambaram - Nagercoil Antyodaya express pass this stretch. In the evening, Chennai - Guruvayur, Mayavaram - Sengottai, Sengottai - Madurai, and Tirunelveli -Dadar express trains have to pass. Nearly 60 trains are passing through the line and around 50,000 families have to make use of the road daily," he added.
Sankara Narayanan further stated that commuters coming from the districts of Theni, Usilampatti, and Virudhunagar have to travel through the junction to reach the airport. "Railway authorities and the Tamil Nadu State Highways department should jointly take steps for the construction of the bridge to resolve the issue," he said.
Responding to this issue, State Highways Divisional Engineer Prasanna Venkatesh said, on behalf of the department, that the land acquisition process has been completed. "We are yet to settle the amount to the land owners and sanction funds. After this, tenders will be floated. The flyover over the railway gate will be constructed by railway and the remaining work will be carried out by the state highways department," he added.