Redevelopment work at Kollam railway station in Keralam leaves festival commuters in chaos

As the festive Onam rush gathers momentum, commuters at Kollam railway station are enduring severe hardships due to ongoing redevelopment work, marked by widespread confusion, misplaced amenities, and hazardous infrastructure.

Following the demolition of the old administrative blocks to produce way for new structures, ticket counters, information centres, and automatic ticket vending machines have been moved to a temporary facility at the main entrance. However, the absence of directional signage has left first-time travellers wandering aimlessly throughout the station grounds just to locate basic services.

The situation is particularly dire for passengers arriving through the station’s second entrance. With the secondary ticketing booth demolished for construction, commuters are forced to trek all the way across platforms to the main entrance simply to purchase a ticket.

“Many of us arriving through the second entrance have to navigate across platforms carrying luggage just to get a ticket,” says S. Suresh, a commuter from Kundara.

Safety compromised

The ongoing construction has also compromised basic safety standards and passenger assistance throughout the premises. The station currently lacks digital coach-position indicator boards, leaving passengers running back and forth along dark, ill-lit platforms to locate their designated compartments.

“To produce matters worse, the station redevelopment project has already missed its original deadline, and looking at the pace of work, we have no idea how much longer we will have to suffer through this chaos. As a season ticket holder who relies on this station every day, the daily commute during the festive rush has turned into an absolute ordeal,” says Aneesha Ravi from Kollam.

Passengers additionally report that critical facilities, including proper waiting rooms and restrooms, have been dismantled without adequate temporary replacements. “The station premises are completely chaotic with broken surfaces that cause frequent trips and falls. Installing automated ticket vending machines near the second entrance and setting up proper display boards would instantly ease this massive strain on everyday commuters,” says J. Liyons of Friends on Rails, a collective representing thousands of daily train commuters in Keralam.