Despite being one of the busiest transit hubs in the region, catering to thousands of daily commuters, Kottayam railway station continues to fall short on basic infrastructure, with the ongoing monsoon laying bare its severe structural gaps.

Nowhere to hide from the rain
To reach platforms 2, 3, 4, and 5 from the main entrance, commuters must use the foot overbridge. However, this bridge starts outside the main station building. With no roof or canopy cover, passengers are forced to brave the heavy downpours just to access their platforms. An alternative route from Platform 1 requires walking all the way to the Nagampadam side overbridge and using the lift there. This detour is not only exhausting but also lacks proper roofing along several stretches, leaving even premium AC coach passengers thoroughly drenched before boarding.

Accessibility hurdles for the vulnerable
The station's accessibility features are woefully inadequate. Crucially, there is no lift connecting the main entrance directly to Platform 1, causing immense hardship for the elderly, pregnant women, and passengers with mobility issues. Furthermore, platforms 4 and 5 — which handle several originating trains — completely lack lift facilities, forcing vulnerable passengers to navigate stairs with heavy luggage.

Neglected second entrance and parking access
The issues extend to the station's second entrance as well. Passengers boarding from this side have no access to digital coach position display screens, leading to last-minute confusion. Compounding the misery is the dilapidated state of the road linking the main entrance to the second entrance, which also houses the station's primary parking zone. Navigating this pothole-riddled stretch in the rain has become a nightmare for motorists.

New lifts sanctioned to ease travel
Amid the mounting complaints, there is a glimmer of hope. Following a successful meeting between Kottayam MP K Francis George and the Union Railway Minister, the station has been sanctioned four new lifts. These are part of the 20 lifts allocated by the Southern Railway to the Thiruvananthapuram division, which is expected to resolve the accessibility crisis on key platforms once installed.