Work on installing escalator at Tiruchi Junction gets under way

Rail travellers’ especially senior citizens and pregnant women will no longer have to face the daunting task of climbing the footsteps with their personal belongings to reach platforms 2 and 3 at Tiruchi Junction.

They can soon breeze through with the Southern Railway administration kick-starting the work of establishing an escalator connecting platforms 2 and 3 at the station.

Civil work associated with the escalator project began a few days ago with the removal of the footsteps towards the Chennai-side leading to platforms 2 and 3 currently under way. However, the footsteps towards the Madurai-side would remain.

The railway administration had closed one portion of the stretch in the pedestrian subway leading to platforms 2 and 3 to carry out the civil works prior to putting up an escalator.

The escalator project was carried out at a cost of Rs. 92 lakh with funds provided by DMK Rajya Sabha member Tiruchi Siva under the MP Local Area Development Scheme. Since platforms 2 and 3 accommodate more number of trains passing through Tiruchi Junction and those originating from the station, it was decided to establish an escalator connecting them for the benefit of the travellers, railway officials told The Hindu . The escalator would be a replacement for footsteps towards the Chennai side and meant only for climbing and not for getting down. The Madurai-side footsteps leading to platforms 2 and 3 would continue to remain as it could be used both for climbing and alighting, the officials said.

With the contract having been awarded to a leading elevator company for establishing the escalator, the project was expected to be completed in four months, a senior official said. Abuzz with passengers’ movement during peak hours, the Tiruchi Junction has in all seven platforms. Platform 1 is being to accommodate important trains including Rockfort, Guruvayur, Mangalore, and Jan Shatabdhi express.

An escalator at Tiruchi Junction was a long felt need of the travellers who found it difficult to reach the other platforms barring platform 1. This is because they have to get down the stairs to walk through the pedestrian subway and again climb the stairs with their belongings to reach platforms 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7.

The escalator would greatly reduce hardships faced by passengers boarding trains from platforms 2 and 3 along with their belongings, the official said. Officials said a footbridge connecting all the seven platforms was on the cards in the near future. The preliminary works for the establishment of the foot over bridge has already commenced.

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The escalator will come up on platform no. 2

and 3

It is expected to provide a big relief to passengers