tambaram suburban train services remain a predominant mode of transport for thousands of commuters in the southern suburbs between st thomas mount and tambaram a distance of around 15kms specifically for two reasons the first is the availability of trains and the second is the punctuality in reaching destinations everyday over 15 lakh commuters use the tambaram station alone which boasts of 24 express trains and 244 emu trips between chennai beach and tambaram unfortunately there is not much else the suburban stations can be proud of when it comes to civic amenities general hygiene commuter safety and convenience these railways stations are very substandard in their offering except chromepet and tambaram none of the stations at st thomas mount pazhavanthangal minambakkam tirusulam pallavaram and tambaram sanatorium have toilet facilities although the stations at st thomas mount minambakkam and tirusulam have six toilets each they have been locked for years due to water shortage in june 2009 the alandur municipality installed a mobile toilet at the st thomas mount station however it was closed within a few months due to high maintenance costs basic amenities are a minimum requirement expected from the southern railway but if they make a halfhearted attempt to provide such amenities then it reflects badly on them said 32yearold s venket a commuter at st thomas mountthe thick growth of vegetation at these facilities is infested with poisonous snakes at night they also become dens for alcohol consumption the piles of empty liquor bottles scattered in certain parts of the stations indicate such dubious activities to add to commuter woes none of these eight railway stations have safe drinking water facilities on an average each station has five water taps which do not work in addition none of the coined phone booths in each of these stations work in fact many of them remain locked except at the tambaram station the weighing machines in the other stations remain locked the same is the case with pco booths in all the stations these unused facilities are a hindrance to commuters who are generally in a rush to board trains unlike other local bodies our municipality has a large number of residents who travel in suburban trains thus basic amenities in these public areas is mandatory alandur municipality chairman a duraivelu told toisafety is another causality in these stations jaywalkers are free to walk on the tracks risking their lives every 5 minutes a train passes through according to officials of the railway protection force rpf tambaram division around 10 accidents occur each month between guindy and tambaram in 2009 383 accidents occurred and this year 130 accidents have already occurred more than 75 of accidents on the railway tracks involve jaywalkers using their mobile phone inspector r s rajesh told toi the walls enclosing the station are in some cases incomplete making it easy for commuters to trespasson august 1 2009 the then southern railway general manager m s jayanth along with a team of senior officials