Ever since the railways emerged as the popular mode of travel following the enhancement of bus fares by the government, the per day revenue generated at the station has jumped to `4 lakh.
It is a nearly 30 per cent rise as compared to the last year, sources said.
On an average, 1,114 regular and 405 reserved tickets are sold daily. Currently there are 11 trains that ply from the station. These include daily express and passenger trains to Chennai, weekly and bi-weekly express trains to New Delhi, Kolkata, Bhubhaneshwar, Bangalore, Mangalore, Thirupathi and daily passenger trains to Villupuram.
The patronage received by these trains is also increasing. Except for the Garib Rath to Yesvanthpur in Bangalore and to Villupuram, all trains run at full capacity.
The next Railway Budget is likely to announce a train to the Dadar station in Mumbai following which the Union territory will be connected to all metros in the country.
Despite the growth, the railway station, however, lacks certain amenities. For instance, water facility is not available in platform three which has a capacity of 23 coaches. As a result, the train to Yesvanthpur, which leaves from platform three is shunted to either platform 1 or 2, which have a capacity of 19 coaches each, and then serviced. Not only does it add to the railway staff’s work load, but also leads to traffic problems as the train shunts beyond Vanarapet Gate near Anglo French Textile mills. Moreover, the Yesvanthpur train can be brought to platforms 1 or 2 only when there is no other scheduled arrival or departure.
The conditions of platforms too warrants attention of the authorities. Even the damage caused by Cyclone Thane to the station has not been repaired yet. Sections of platform roofs were blown away by the cyclone. The damage still stands causing inconvenience to the passengers. The arrival of the rainy season will only add to their woes.
Lack of public transport connectivity to the station is another issue that needs to be addressed. Many commuters still like to travel to Villupuram by bus than by train though the latter is cheaper. A train ticket to Villupuram costs only `6 while a bus journey costs `18 on the Madagadipet route and `22 on the Thirukanur route.
The coaches of long distance trains to New Delhi, Kolkata, Bhubhaneshwar, and Mangalore are also worn-out and need repair.
Another concern that remains is the traffic congestion at railway crossings. The plans for constructing five over-bridges with equal funding from the Railway Ministry and Puducherry government are yet to see the light of the day.
The proposals for construction of foot over-bridges at crossings in Arumparthapuram and 100 Feet Road, at an estimated cost of `10.27 crore each are still pending with the Finance Ministry.
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