KANNIYAKUMARI: Railway users and residents have urged the Railways to provide lifts and other basic facilities at the Eraniel railway station, citing difficulties faced by elderly and differently abled passengers.
Though the station has three platforms connected by a foot overbridge, it lacks lift facilities. Eraniel railway station, located near Thingal Nagar, serves passengers travelling to places including Mandaikadu Bhagavathy Amman Temple, Neyyoor Hospital, Padmanabhapuram Palace and several educational institutions in the region.
A visit by TNIE found that many elderly and differently abled passengers struggled to access Platforms 2 and 3 after purchasing tickets. In the absence of lifts, some were seen crossing the tracks to reach the platforms.
Seventy-two-year-old passenger P Kumaresan told TNIE that it was difficult for senior citizens like him to move between platforms because the foot overbridge did not have a lift facility.
P Edward Jeni, secretary of the Kanniyakumari District Railway Users Association (KKDRUA), said the station falls under the NSG-5 category in terms of passenger traffic and revenue.
He noted that while the station had been expanded under the railway doubling project with three platforms and two stabling lines, there was no direct access from the main station building to Platform 1.
“After collecting tickets, passengers have to walk through the old office building to reach Platform 1, causing inconvenience. The existing foot overbridge is also not suitable for differently abled passengers,” he said.
J John Heath of Neyyoor said passengers approaching the station from Thingal Nagar have to take a U-turn, resulting in delays. He urged the Railways to construct a second foot overbridge and an additional ticket office on the western side of the station.