Chennai: Thousands of commuters using Pattabiram railway station have urged Southern Railway to open a ticket counter on the station’s western side as they are forced to climb the steep footover bridge and reach the eastern side to buy tickets and return to board the suburban trains.There are three platforms in the Pattabiram station. Platform 1 is located on the western side and trains towards Chennai halt here. Meawnhile trains towards Arakkonam halt at platforms 2 and 3 on the Eastern Side. Everyday 241 trains pass through this station. Every day, thousands of office-goers, students and vendors from Pattabiram and nearby areas rely on suburban trains to travel to Chennai.Residents of Kamarajapuram, those from Chennai-Tiruvallur High (CTH) Road, Veppampattu, Nemilichery and the Outer Ring Road towards Avadi, and more than 20 surrounding villages use the Western entry to reach the station. Passengers said the only functional ticket counter is on the eastern side near the Poonamallee-Thandurai Road entrance.“A few months ago, the railways cleared bushes near the station and created a large parking area. A newly constructed building there is now being used by a private contractor. It could instead be converted into a ticket counter, or at least a self-ticket vending machine could be installed,” said A Roy Rosario, president of the Pattabiram Rail Passengers Association.Railway officials, however, said, “Opening an additional ticket counter is not feasible under existing norms.The station operates two counters during the morning shift and one during the evening and night shifts on Platform 1, with around 800 tickets sold on average in each shift. As Railway Board guidelines require at least 1,000 tickets per shift to justify another counter, passengers can use the RailOne app to buy reserved, unreserved and platform tickets.”Passengers also want better access to the station from the western side. “Since there is no U-turn near the Pattabiram flyover, motorists have to travel five to 10 minutes to take a turn near a private hospital. The 25-foot-wide stretch frequently becomes congested with vehicles from the Avadi side. The approach to the station from CTH Road is nearly 1.5km away. Pedestrians have to walk for nearly 20 minutes to reach the station,” said T Sadagopan, a resident.
