Section of platform collapses at Mayiladuthurai Railway Station

A portion of Platform 1 at Mayiladuthurai Railway Station collapsed late on Tuesday night due to heavy rain where an ongoing construction work under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS) is on. No injuries were reported.

The collapse occurred around 1 a.m., a little after passengers had boarded a train at the platform. A section of the platform, measuring approximately 100 feet in length and 6 feet in width, caved into a pit dug for the foundation of a new Foot Overbridge (FOB) with escalators. The pit, about 15 ft deep and 100 ft long, had been excavated as part of the station’s renovation work under the ₹22 crore ABSS project.

Mayiladuthurai Railway Station which connects cities such as Tiruchi, Chennai, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, and Karaikal sees thousands of passengers every day. The renovation under the ABSS includes the construction of the foot overbridge with escalators and other modern amenities to improve passenger facilities.

Sami Ganesan, secretary of the Rail Passengers Association, criticised the construction work, saying, “They should have anticipated such a collapse when digging such a large pit. The ABSS works have been going on here for nearly a year, but progress has been slow, and the quality of the work is subpar. Even the newly laid tiles at the station have been damaged, and we have complained about this several times.”

In response, railway officials attributed the collapse to heavy rainfall. “On Platform 1 of Mayiladuthurai Station, part of the platform was barricaded for earthwork related to the FOB foundation. Heavy rain overnight caused a minor soil slide, leading to the barricades slipping. However, there was no damage to the platform surface, and passenger movement was not affected. The barricades have been restored, and passenger safety remains our top priority,” said an official.

Published - October 09, 2024 09:02 pm IST