Chennai: For about 45 days in March 2026, two platforms at Egmore railway station were completely closed for redevelopment, affecting all passengers, including those travelling by local and outstation trains. Those platforms reopened around the end of April. “Passengers without disabilities faced difficulties for only about one-and-a-half months. But for people with disabilities, the problem has continued for more than a year,” says Sathish Kumar, wheelchair user and disability activist.People with disabilities from different parts of the city often use the metro because it is an accessible mode of transport, he says. “But once they arrive at the Egmore metro station, they cannot access the suburban railway station; there is currently no lift or ramp to reach the foot overbridge from platform 11A, owing to the ongoing construction.”Until about a year ago, there was a foot overbridge on platform 11A with a lift and a ramp. Passengers could use it to reach the main railway station, including the suburban and outstation platforms. But now the lift has been disconnected and the ramp removed.Normally, at southern railway stations, passengers can cross the tracks at the end of the platform by going down a ramp and crossing over to another platform. But even that facility is unavailable at platform 11A, which serves suburban trains. The railways has closed this pathway citing safety concerns, as local trains pass through every 10 minutes, he says.Gnana Bharathi, founder of spinal injured person’s association, the railway officials had conducted a meeting with the disability sector regarding the accessibility problems at Egmore railway station, and the officials acknowledged that there was currently no facility to help passengers with disabilities access the railway station from the metro.When asked how passengers were expected to manage without an accessible route, officials reportedly suggested transporting them by road in a buggy. However, he pointed out that this was beyond their capacity, as they lacked the authority to operate beyond their station limits.The officials showed them the proposed plans and said all accessibility facilities would be available once the construction was completed. They indicated that the work was expected to be finished by Dec 2027. In the meantime, they would try to make temporary arrangements to help passengers with disabilities.The representative said the situation was extremely difficult and that he had experienced the problem himself.Regarding access to platforms 5 and 6, he said passengers had been asked to take an alternative route. A new, much larger foot overbridge, reportedly 70 metres wide, was under construction. Until it was completed, passengers had been asked to bear with the inconvenience.
