CHENNAI: Even as the Southern Railway continues to drag its feet on the new terminal work at Tambaram for the last seven years, the decision to set up a greenfield terminal at Perambur, near Perambur Loco Works station and 7 km from Chennai Central, has left rail passengers shocked and disappointed.
Intended to ease congestion at Chennai Central, the move has been strongly opposed by a section of passengers, terming it irrational and poorly planned. Official documents suggest the proposal was recently approved by general manager RN Singh.
A Southern Railway spokesperson said the proposal is still in the nascent stage and the DPR has not been finalised. “Due to operational and land issues at Royapuram and Salt Cotaurs, the fourth terminal has been proposed at Perambur. We have received in-principle approval from the railway board,” said an official.
As per earlier proposal, about 35 to 40% of trains from Chennai Central, including Shatabdi and Vande Bharat, and other trains bound for Thiruvananthapuram and Bengaluru, will be shifted to the new terminal.
A former Zonal and Divisional Rail Users Consultative Committee member said the proposal would permanently disrupt the smooth operation of suburban trains.
“If express trains are operated from the proposed terminal, suburban trains would have to halt between Perambur and Villivakkam to allow them to access the fast line. To prevent this, the railway would have to interchange the slow and fast lines. This will result in shifting all amenities including toilets, eateries, water plants and railway offices at the en-route stations to the new platforms. It may take another 15 to 20 years to restore normalcy in suburban operations.”
Y Jayapaulraj, a member of DRUCC, Chennai, said, “There is land available for developing the terminal near Tiruvallur. The station is also connected to the suburban network.”
2016 report
Passengers also pointed to a 2016 report by the Commissioner of Railway Safety, which probed a collision at Pattabiram involving an EMU train and express locomotive. CRS recommended avoiding frequent shifts between fast & slow lines to reduce accident risks. Further, MTC buses may find it hard to access the new terminal due to heavy traffic on Konnur High Road