CHENNAI: The decision to close the level-crossing (LC) gate at Perungalathur railway station has been postponed following stiff resistance from locals, who have been demanding a foot overbridge or subway at the same location. Traffic congestion is a regular affair on GST road owing to closures at the crossing during peak hours.
After the third arm of the flyover from Sreenivasan Nagar to GST road was opened in June, the state highways department and traffic police proposed closing the LC gate. However, residents said that it will inconvenience and affect the safety of pedestrians who use the crossing.
Official sources from the state highways and Southern Railway said Srinivasan Raghavan road is very narrow for constructing a limited-use subway. Officials have assured that once the work on the flyover is complete, the possibility of a mini-subway will be explored. The existing subway at the northern end of Perungalathur station, originally designed for crossing tracks, has fallen into disrepair and is considered unsafe by residents.
“We are willing to support the gate’s closure if a subway or skywalk is built underneath it. Otherwise, pedestrians will need to take a detour of one km to cross the tracks,” said N Sivaram, a resident. “The construction of the flyover has not yet been completed and closing the LC gate at this stage will cause inconvenience to all,” said Jayashangari, a college student.
(With inputs from B Anbuselvan)