Grand Visions vs. Ground Reality
Across the country, the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme is giving facelifts to over 1,300 stations, with many already completed. These projects promise world-class facilities, from spacious waiting halls to improved circulating areas. We see headlines celebrating
new double-height concourses, modern lighting, and sleek new buildings. An upgraded Passenger Reservation System is also set to launch from August, promising a smoother booking experience with AI-powered predictions. This progress is commendable and essential for a modernising India. But a world-class station is only as good as its accessibility. For millions of passengers, the daily reality is still a struggle against basic infrastructural gaps. The gap between a grand architectural vision and the simple act of getting to a platform remains vast.
The Daily Hurdle for Millions
Imagine being an elderly citizen, a person with a disability, or a parent with a child and luggage. For them, a flight of stairs to a footbridge isn't an inconvenience; it's an impassable barrier. Many stations, even major ones, have multiple platforms connected only by staircases. Wheelchair users often depend on the kindness of strangers or porters to be physically carried up and down stairs—a risky and undignified ordeal. The lack of continuous tactile paths, inconsistent audio announcements, and poorly located signage further complicates navigation for the visually impaired. While the 'Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan' (Accessible India Campaign) was launched to address these issues, implementation remains inconsistent across the network. Without easy access via lifts and ramps, a simple train journey begins with anxiety and physical strain for a significant portion of our population.
More Than Convenience, It's About Safety
To dismiss lifts and footbridges as mere 'convenience' is to fundamentally misunderstand their purpose. They are critical safety infrastructure. In the absence of accessible overbridges, many passengers, including the elderly, are forced to take the dangerous option of crossing railway tracks. This shortcut has led to countless preventable accidents and fatalities over the years. Properly planned footbridges, equipped with lifts and escalators, channel passengers safely and efficiently, reducing the risk of trespassing on active railway lines. These amenities are not luxuries but essential components of a safe and inclusive transport system. Projects like the redevelopment of stations in Maharashtra and the new footbridge at Ghatkopar station show a commitment to including these features, but this needs to be a universal standard, not a station-by-station bonus. When a station handles tens of thousands of passengers daily, ensuring their safe passage between platforms is a core responsibility.
A Matter of Planning and Priority
The good news is that accessibility is increasingly part of the conversation. Recent redevelopment projects under the Amrit Bharat scheme explicitly list lifts, escalators, and ramps as key components. The modernisation of Secunderabad station, for example, includes 26 lifts and 32 escalators. Similarly, a recent upgrade approved for Visakhapatnam coaching yard provides for lifts and ramps on widened platforms. However, for this to be truly effective, accessibility cannot be an afterthought. It must be integrated into the master plan from day one. Retrofitting stations is not only more expensive and disruptive but often leads to compromised solutions. The most effective and economical approach is to make accessibility a non-negotiable element of all new and redevelopment projects. The guidelines are already in place; what is needed now is rigorous, consistent implementation across every single project, ensuring that every new plan includes adequate provisions for footbridges and lifts before the first brick is laid.
