Hyderabad: Long wait at railway gate raises hackles of motorists in Malkajgiri

Malkajgiri: Motorists crossing the railway crossing gate at Gautam Nagar in Malkajgiri had to wait for more than an hour during peak hours for the gate to open. With no alternative for commuters, the railway officials shut the route many times in a day forcing commuters to not go back but to wait until the gate reopens.

A regular commuter to this route, Satish Reddy speaking to The Hans India said, "This happens only during peak hours, while I start from home to leave for office, no matter how early I start I had to wait at the railway gate for at least 45 minutes due to which daily I reach my workplace late and I get bad remark."

Despite several complaints lodged with the State and railway authorities, the issue remains unsolved.

"Somehow proposals of constructing a Railway Under Bridge (RUB) were announced but due to Covid-19 pandemic followed by lockdown till now no progress in the plan was seen," said R. Vinod, a resident.

Motorists allege that at times they have to wait for hours until more than three trains including full-length freight trains pass from here and green signal pops. This has become a matter of concern for motorists and residents as they are facing severe difficulty by waiting at the gate.

Moreover, the population in this area is increasing day by day, and as well as the number of vehicles passing from this route has also increased creating a traffic jam in Gautam Nagar, sometimes traffic snarl reaches into small lanes of the area. People have demanded the State government and railway authority to construct a RUB immediately. Many acknowledged that this is a regular issue.

According to railway officials, a new bridge is being constructed from Jyotinagar to Mirzalaguda. "For MMTS, the gate has to be closed early as the trains travel at high speed, while goods carrying trains are slower and all these factors influence the opening and closing of the railway gate," said an official.

Motorists and residents have urged the authority to the extent of the ongoing RUB works from Jyotinagar to Gautam Nagar so that the traffic issue can be resolved and can be a relief for the residents.