I was in Hyderabad for work recently and returned yesterday by train to Chennai. I boarded the train from Nampally railway station as it was nearer to my place of work. I have boarded trains from Nampally station earlier, about five years ago and the station was not that great compared to other stations at that time. When I went in to board the train on Friday, to my surprise, the station was worse than before. The platforms were dirty and, there was no information of the coach position from the engine (it is always useful to know how far one has to walk to the coach especially if you have lot of/heavy luggage). Some of the LED coach position indicators were not glowing, making it difficult to find the positions. There was no canteen open at 3 PM for light refreshments. I had expected the station to have improved in the years gone by keeping in line with the growth of the city. Sadly, that was not the case. As the train moved away and passed other smaller suburban stations (James Street, Necklace Road etc), I noticed that those stations looked cleaner and perhaps had better amenities.
I have heard that the Secunderabad station has improved over the years (it always was better than Nampally) and is being planned to be made a world class station. While that is a commendable initiative, it is also imperative that Nampally station be given due attention. When the city’s airport ranks among the top airports in the world, its railway station should not be among the bottom most.
Image courtesy - Hyderabad Spider: Mohan’s thought provoking images of Hyderabad: Dogs roam freely at Nampally Railway station
