Crowded foot overbridges cast a shadow on passenger safety at Visakhapatnam Railway Station

The existing foot overbridges (FOBs) at Visakhapatnam Railway Station are teeming with passengers, particularly during the arrival of trains terminating at Visakhapatnam Junction. The six-metre wide south-end FOB, which was closed for passengers after the floor partially tilted in April this year, is yet to be reopened.

“I arrived in the city by the New Delhi-Visakhapatnam AP Express on June 17. Once I got on to the FOB, I was shaken on seeing the overcrowded bridge. I could feel the vibrations and was scared out of my wits,” said B. Ravindra Kumar, a resident of Madhavadhara VUDA Colony.

“I came to know later that another wide FOB was closed. If that was my experience, the condition of women and children on the overcrowded bridge could well be imagined,” he said.

It may be recalled that the south-end FOB, near the vehicle entry point on Platform no. 1-side, had tilted reportedly due to corrosion. The wide FOB had a ramp-type landing, which used to start close from the pick-up/drop point on the road. This used to be very convenient for passengers to pull their trolleys right on to the FOB.

There used to be a large information display board right next to the FOB, which helped passengers check arrival and departure timings of trains and the assigned platforms. The platforms sometimes would be changed at the last minute, based on train movements. Passengers would wait until the final allotment and then use the FOB to reach their respective platforms within minutes.

Of the existing FOBs, the middle FOB is also six metres wide but the north-end FOB is comparatively narrow. Due to the absence of the third FOB, passengers have to rely only the two available bridges, which is resulting in overcrowding.

“New FOBs will be built as part of the station redevelopment project. Though tenders have been called in the past, the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) came into effect before they could be finalised, and the project did not make much headway,” according to railway sources.

Visakhapatnam Railway Station was tentatively shortlisted for redevelopment in the first phase by the Railway Board, and it was decided to go for invitation of proposals way back in 2016. After a lot of delay, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation for redevelopment of Visakhapatnam Railway Station, at an estimated cost of ₹456 crore, on November 12, 2022.

More than 18 months later, the project is yet to take off. The growing number of passengers in Visakhapatnam have to wait for the new FOBs until the completion of the station redevelopment project.