MADURAI: Disabled people and senior citizens have flagged difficulties in accessing the Automatic Ticket Vending Machine (ATVM) placed at the main entrance of Madurai Railway Junction, which has been partially closed four months ago to facilitate redevelopment work which began in April 2025.
Passengers say the machine functions only till 9 pm after which they are forced to walk for quite some distance to the Passenger Reservation System (PRS) to buy unreserved tickets.
At present, the VIP lounge serves as the entry point, where lift facility is available for differently-abled passengers and senior citizens. Speaking to TNIE, Tamil Nadu Association for the Rights of All Types of Differently Abled and Caregivers (TARATDAC) district secretary A Balamurugan said passengers are forced to walk for nearly half a kilometre to the Passenger Reservation System (PRS) and come back to the VIP lounge to enter the station.
"This is extremely difficult for us. Considering our plight, officials should ensure the ATVM functions round the clock or open a ticket counter near the VIP lounge," he said.
He further stated that there are no prominent signboards placed at the main entrance indicating the entry points or facilities available. "Dust pollution is another major issue. Until redevelopment works are completed, the Madurai Division of Southern Railway should at least lay temporary roads to control dust pollution," he added.
Speaking to TNIE, DREU divisional coordinator R Sankara Narayanan said most long-distance trains operate during night, but neither a ticket counter nor an Automatic Ticket Vending Machine (ATVM) functions. Further, he alleged that lifts available at this entry do not function regularly. A battery car service is available in the station, but even that does not operate during night. Also, he said a dedicated parking space for differently abled passengers be created near the VIP lounge entry to enable them to access the lift easily.
He urged railway authorities to conduct inspection at night to check the status of lights, lifts and passenger assistance facilities.
A railway official told TNIE that the issue would be examined and appropriate action would be taken.