Collector to urge Southern Railway to widen narrow subway near Walajah town to prevent accidents

District Collector J. U. Chandrakala will seek the Southern Railway to widen the existing narrow railway subway on the Ranipet - Sholinghur Main Road (SH 61) at Ammoor village near Walajah Road railway station in Ranipet.

Officials of State Highways said the stretch was widened into four lanes between Muthukadai and Manthangal junction, a distance of 10.6 kms, recently. The existing narrow railway subway is located on the widened stretch, which is 16 metres wide. Despite widening of the stretch, the subway remains a traffic bottleneck as motorists and pedestrians struggle to negotiate the two-lane facility, which is only 3.3 metres.

As per norms, 3.75 metres of width is required for a single lane stretch to ensure safety of motorists and pedestrians. “The Southern Railway has maintained the subway since it was formed during the British period. We have apprised the railways of the need to widen the subway to prevent traffic congestion and accidents there,” S. Selvakumar, Divisional Engineer (DE), State Highways (Ranipet), told The Hindu.

Along with State Highway and local railway officials, Ms. Chandrakala inspected the railway subway and surrounding areas on the possibility of widening of the facility. Land acquisition for the widening of the subway will be minimal as vast tracts of railway land is available on both sides of the facility.

Tucked between Chennai - Bengaluru Highway (NH 44) and the Palar river, the Ranipet - Sholinghur Main Road connects such key towns as Tirutani, Sholinghur, Walajah, Ranipet, Katpadi, Vellore and Chittoor. “During rush hour, motorists struggle to pass through the subway due to narrow road space. Ambulances take a detour of at least 12 kms to reach farming villages near Walajah than using narrow subway,” said G. Babu, a motorist. 

As per norms, the narrow subway should be widened at least 12 metres to accommodate the existing traffic flow on the route. Around 20 metres of railway land is required for the expansion of the subway into a 12 metre-wide facility. It is expected to cost around Rs four crore for the work.

Railway officials said the existing subway has been classified as a culvert in the railways. Also, the entire cost of the widening of the facility has to be borne by the railways as the subway is maintained by them unlike railway level crossings where the State government contributes 50 per cent of total project costs. “The decision to widen the subway should be taken by senior officials at the Southern Railway. We will apprise them about the need for it,” said a railway official.

Published - October 26, 2024 11:56 pm IST