When safety slips through a gaping hole in Chennai’s MRTS stations

When the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) was proposed in the 1970s for Chennai, it was envisioned as the first mass public transport corridor to run on an elevated section in the country, years before the Metro Rail was even an idea in India. In anticipation of good patronage, humongous railway stations were built in one go, along with various passenger amenities such as escalators, lifts, and toilets.

Built in phases, the full MRTS service from Beach to Velachery was launched in November 2007. It was extended to St. Thomas Mount this year. The MRTS project, including the extension, had suffered delays of several decades.

Futuristic model

Envisioned as a futuristic model of mass public transport for easy and fast movement, the MRTS now stands as an example of poor maintenance, with passengers left with inadequate operational, civic, and security amenities. Particularly, on the security front, the MRTS has earned a bad reputation among women commuters after incidents of sexual assault and theft at a few stations, including Perungudi, Taramani, Thiruvanmiyur, and Indra Nagar.

The latest incident is the death of a 55-year-old woman at the Thirumayilai station. The woman, Vijaya, a resident of Pallikaranai, had travelled on an MRTS train along with her daughter and got down at Thirumayilai on October 8. Wanting to answer nature’s call and finding the toilet shut, the woman tried to relieve herself by entering one of the many abandoned rooms on the platform. The room being pitch dark, she fell to her death through a huge gap on the floor. Her body was found only after four days; that too, because of the foul smell that drew the attention of officers of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) station housed on the ground floor.

Sprawling facilities

Having built sprawling railway stations in the MRTS section, Southern Railway realised that it required a large workforce and huge funds to maintain the amenities. So it drew up a security plan in 2013. It decided to close one of the two entrances at 14 elevated stations, including Perungudi, Taramani, Thiruvanmiyur, Indra Nagar, Kasturba Nagar, Kotturpuram, and Chintadripet. It also closed the access ways leading to these entry and exit points on the elevated platforms with grill gates and shut several rooms on the platforms built for commercial units and vendors that remained empty.

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At the Thiruvanmiyur, Indra Nagar, and Kasturba Nagar stations, mezzanine floors, originally apportioned for commercial use, were closed with grill gates. Large, empty stations were soon being used by the homeless, especially at Perungudi, Taramani, Light House, and Thiruvallikeni.

R.K. Prabhu, a resident of Baby Nagar in Velachery, who has been using MRTS services since the full services were launched, complains that anti-social elements take over portions of the Perungudi station at night for consuming alcohol and playing cards. Though officials had shut down a portion of the station with concrete slabs, the wall has been broken open, and that space is still being used for drinking and dumping garbage.

Regular commuters say that except at a few stations, toilets are not usable at all.

The Thiruvanmiyur station is another station that has a haunted feel after sunset. “Several rooms around the station have remained unoccupied for years. Liquor bottles, garbage, and other discarded items can be found here. Many youngsters also use the premises for drinking and smoking,” said workers cleaning the station. Located right next to Chennai’s Information Technology Corridor, the station is being used by a significant number of women commuters.

“Those working in Tidel Park, Ramanujam IT Park, and the IIT Madras Research Park get down here. After 7 p.m., this place looks unsafe. Some of us take the overbridge to the station. A security person should be stationed at this bridge,” suggested S. Ragini, who works at a prominent IT company in Tidel Park. Other commuters from the IT park say there are stray dogs on the bridge at times and even on the station premises. While Southern Railway has posted RPF personnel to man the platforms of each railway station, the security officials face difficulties in patrolling the stations effectively.

Commercial exploration

Right to Information activist Dayanand Krishnan says it is a surprise that the vast spaces could not be commercially exploited by setting up offices, food plazas, and other business establishments. He said Southern Railway should have organised a stakeholder meeting with big commercial establishments before commencing the construction of such buildings. They would be ideal for housing supermarkets.

Mr. Krishnan says the quality of space plays an important role in attracting not only business establishments but also consumers. The MRTS stations are not “inviting places”, he added. Additionally, the poor quality of construction is a deterrent for vendors — roofs leak even after light rain and rainwater stagnates on the platforms and the ground floors.

Former Director-General of Police C. Sylendra Babu says, “Chennai’s massive elevated MRTS stations have become poorly policed spaces, allegedly sheltering petty criminals and drug-users, with incidents of alcohol and drug consumption and sexual harassment reported over the years. The vast, deserted ground-floor areas, multiple entry and exit points, and lack of a dedicated security detail have made these stations vulnerable to anti-social activities.”

‘GRP is understaffed’

He says the Government Railway Police (GRP), which is legally responsible for passenger safety, is understaffed, while the RPF primarily focuses on safeguarding railway property. He called for establishing GRP police stations at major MRTS stations, with the Railways and the State government sharing the cost equally.

Mr. Babu added that the Railways had failed to utilise the enormous spaces commercially for decades, leaving them neglected and vulnerable to misuse. As the MRTS readies itself for merging with the Chennai Metro Rail limited (CMRL) network, administratively, it is important that the issue of space utilisation is sorted out first.

Former Superintendent of Police (GRP) V. Pon Ram also says Chennai’s MRTS network continues to face security challenges owing to inadequate police deployment, poorly lit stations, and vast, underutilised spaces.

Merger with CMRL

With commuters already losing direct train services from Velachery to Avadi, Tiruvallur, Arakkonam, and Gummidipoondi, after the fourth line between Egmore and Beach came into use, calls to hand over the MRTS to the CMRL, without delay, have been renewed. The Railway Board has given the go-ahead for handing over the service to CMRL.

Commuters say safety and security, besides amenities, in the CMRL network are far superior to those available at the MRTS stations. Prasanna Kumar, a frequent commuter on the MRTS system, says, “I hesitate to take an MRTS train late in the evening because I don’t feel safe. It is equally challenging for women passengers. The access pathway to the station itself is not well lit. This is why I’m eagerly anticipating the CMRL’s take-over of the MRTS. The CMRL stations have CCTVs and people don’t have to be anxious about their safety.”

While talk of the take-over has been in the pipeline for nearly 15 years now, the approval from the Railway Board came only this year and the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Tamil Nadu government and Southern Railway is expected to happen within two months. The transition period of the take-over will begin slowly, with the CMRL introducing security and housekeeping services initially. “Improving passenger-related issues and services will be the priority. Meanwhile, upgradation of station structures and systems will follow,” an official said.

Purchasing new trains for this system may take a minimum of two years. In those two years, officials have said, the MRTS will see some significant changes in the maintenance of stations and their surroundings.

Southern Railway holds safety audit

In the week since the accidental death, the Chennai Division of Southern Railway undertook a comprehensive review of building safety plans at all the MRTS stations and took steps to prevent such accidents.

A senior official of the Chennai Division said all shaft openings identified at stations, including Thirumayilai and Perungudi, were closed. Vacant, unused rooms were locked and stickers were pasted, restricting access. Permanent closure of the restricted areas is in progress. Signage for commuters will come up soon. As for station security and passenger assistance, the official said a Station Master and support staff had been deployed at important stations, including Thirumayilai, Chepauk, and Velachery. Commercial staff members are being deployed for ticketing services and for assisting passengers at the stations, the official added.

Additional security personnel have been deployed at the stations and for patrolling trains, the official further said.

(With inputs from R. Sivaraman, Sunitha Sekar, and Sangeetha Kandavel)