Cotton Green most neglected station, say locals

The relatively less-crowded Cotton Green station on the Harbour Line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway is reportedly ‘most neglected’ by Railway authorities if commuters are to be believed.

According to commuters, the station is plagued with the following issues:

New services, old station

Commuters maintain that the century old station isn’t ready for 12-coach service with its current infrastructure. While authorities keep introducing new services to help commuters, they should undertake necessary repairs at the station before adding new facilities.

 Highly elevated

The elevated station, wherein commuters have to climb the equivalent of two floors, makes using it a risky proposition for elders, women and children. Moreover, even the staircase edges have completely smoothed off over the years and offer little grip.

 Ticket window woes

Currently, only one elevated ticket window is operational on Cotton Green. As a result, commuters entering the station from the south-end are forced to walk all the way to the north end to purchase the ticket. The ticket window at the ground levels are also non-functional.

Safety

Since the station lacks proper lighting, commuters say that it has become a hub for drug addicts who take up shelter at the station during night. Moreover, since the station lacks guards, there is no saying when one of them can go awry and confront or attack a commuter.

According to Kailash Rao, a resident from Kalachowki who uses the station for daily commute, the citizens have been vocal about their concerns since last year. However, railway authorities have failed to take notice and make amends.