Chennai: By June, passengers and suburban commuters visiting Egmore railway station will have an additional footover bridge (FOB) at the Chetpet end with lifts and escalators on both sides for easy transit across the platforms. Currently, the FOB at the Chennai Park end is the only corridor connecting all 11 platforms at Egmore station, where passengers enter and exit the station from both Pantheon Road and Vepery. The existing FOB at the Chetpet end has been partially demolished to make way for the upcoming rooftop plaza as part of the redevelopment work at the station.This has resulted in limited access to platform 10 with just one FOB. Since platforms 10 and 11 have been reopened for suburban train operations after a gap of 43 days, railways will focus on construction of the additional footover bridge. Railway officials said the new footover bridge will be ready for use by June. “The new FOB will have lifts and escalators for passengers to carry luggage without hassle,” said the officials. The suppliers of lifts and escalators are said to have sought time to deliver the consignment to different stations, including Chennai Beach and other suburban stations where redevelopment work is underway. The new FOB will be integrated with the roof plaza when it is completed, according to railway sources.Railway officials also said the existing FOB at the Chepet end will be restored with temporary ramps as part of the Southern Railway’s efforts to keep the station accessible to persons with disabilities. A full and partial cancellation of EMU services in the morning and late night hours will be in force from Friday until April 7, officials added. A Parthiban, a suburban commuter, said the new FOB at Egmore will help ease congestion at the existing FOBs and that the railways should complete the work without delays. “It has almost been a year since the suburban commuters were forced to use the single FOB to enter and exit the station,” he said.
