Making pitch for Royapuram as terminal

Residents of north Chennai and members of railway union made a pitch for developing Royapuram railway station, as the fourth terminal in Chennai, before a team of officers from the Railway Board who began a feasibility study at the station on Friday.Three executive directors of Board — Vinay Singh, ED (Works), Devendra Singh, ED (Planning) and Mukesh Nigam, ED (Coaching) — carried out a field inspection of the 156-year-old station, which is the oldest in the Southern region. “We are here to assess the feasibility of the station and inspect the facilities that are available. A decision will be made only after a report is submitted on the matter,” said Mr.Nigam. Divisional Railway Manager (Chennai) S.Anantharaman, who accompanied the group, said the Board members were briefed about the available facilities at the station. “Factors such as the length and width of the terminal were assessed. The inspection was to look at the facilities that are required to develop it into a terminal,” he said.Representatives of he Southern Railway Mazdoor Union said the station if developed into a terminal will help decongest the Egmore station. “Egmore is not designed for stabling of rakes. Many of the rakes are also stranded outside the station which makes it inconvenient for maintenance and safety,” said R.Satish Kumar, branch secretary, SRMU. “There is ample space available at the Royapuram station and there is scope for at least ten platforms,” he added.Many hurdles have been placed in the way of developing the terminal, said A.T.B.Bose, co-convenor, Tamil Nadu Railway Passengers' Rights Tribune. “The locomotive shed, a proposed track repair workshop, weighing machine for goods trains are some of the hindrances,” he said, adding there is an agreement between the Chennai Port Trust and the Southern Railways to exchange a sizeable plot of land used by the Railway press.