CHENNAI: The dysfunctional information display board at the western entrance of the Chennai Central has been causing a lot of inconvenience for hundreds of passengers every day. Passengers arriving by suburban trains, cars, and two-wheelers use the western entrance to enter the Central station. A large electronic board in this part of the station that displayed information on train position remained dysfunctional for a few weeks before being removed recently.
As a result, passengers entering the station at the last minute, have to run to the concourse area to check the train position on the main display board and then proceed to catch the train. The additional time taken to find the train’s position causes a lot of inconvenience to the elderly, pregnant women and passengers carrying heavy luggage, say travellers.
A smaller LED screen has been installed, but it has been of little use as information relayed is often delayed, complain passengers. Recalling the ordeal, 65-year-old Kumaravel Sami from Villivakkam said, “On October 22, at around 6 am, there was no display in the electronic board. I ran to the main entrance to find the position. To my surprise, the Coimbatore Express, which I was supposed to board, was stationed at platform 10, just a few yards away from the display board. My wife and I boarded the train after a lot of struggle. Had the display board functioned, we would have comfortably walked to the train.”
Similarly, daily travellers from Arakkonam and Katpadi, too face inconvenience. “After parking the bike, when we enter the station, there is no information on train position on the platform. About 20 to 30 per cent of daily travellers reach the station just a few minutes before departure. Every day, we have to run hither and thither to board the train,” said S Krishnan from Katpadi.
A Chennai Division railway official said the electronic display board was removed for maintenance and will soon become functional. “We have now installed LED boards at the western entrance. Announcements on train position are given regularly. The main entrance display board is not too far from the western side.”
Adding to the rush
Since the board (displaying information on train position) at the western entrance of the Central station was not functioning, passengers entering the station in the last minute had to run to the concourse area to check train position and then proceed to catch the train