Srirangam Railway Gate

A night at the srirangam railway gate

Very soon, railway gates in Tamil Nadu could become automated taking away the manual process from the traditional gateman who have been manning the gates over the last several decades. 

On Wednesday (April 2) night, this writer watched the action at the historic railway gate north of the at Srirangam station. In the past, there used to a gate south of the station as well but a flyover was constructed a few decades ago leaving thos as the only railway gate in Srirangam.

a gatekeeper signed in at 8pm for a 12 hour schedule. With the dramatic increase in train services over the last few years, there is very little rest for him through the night.

This section had featured a story in 2017 on Kaattu Azhagiya Singar Koil (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2017/10/kaattu-azhagiya-singar-srirangam.html), a couple of hundred yards away from this gate on how dangerous snakes made the temple their homes in the decades gone by.  It has been no different at this gate number 244. He cannot take his eyes and ears off even for a few minutes during the peak time between 9pm and 2am.

The Gateman's role

It is just past 11.15pm and Chennai Egmore bound Rockfort express makes its way past the gate after having stopped at the Srirangam station.  The train that left Tiruchirapalli Junction at 10.50pm has passed the Ariyamangalam gate after Ponmalai. The station master at Srirangam calls tue gatekeeper on the traditional magnetic phone to inform him of the upcoming train  with the alarm signal  going off, an indication that the gate will have to close the gate within 2 minutes. Only after the gate is closed the gate will the signal clear for the train to cross Ariyamangalam on the South side and Valadi on the North side.

The clock has ticked to 11.35pm and he is back on the magnetic phone with the Station Master who tells the gatekeeper that the Nagercoil bound express from Tambaram will be the next on the track and that he will have to close the gate after the red alarm alert goes off at the gate. He goes and operates the gate boom lock that results in the closure of the gate and it getting locked.

What does a gatekeeper look for in every train

With every passing train, a gatekeeper has to look at multiple aspects. He has to direct the white lit torch on himself (photo above) when the train passes. He has to see if the driver is showing the green light towards him and if the guard is doing the same. He has to look at the wheels of the coaches and has to immediately inform the station master if there are any shortcomings. Also, he has to see if the brake rod is functioning and the sound of the wheels is consistent in all the coaches

He has a whistle that he blows when he sees coach related issues including when passengers are hanging outside the train in any of the coaches. When the train has passed the gate, he has to see that the red light is flickering on the back of the last coach for night trains. 

In a matter of a few seconds, the gateman has to perform all of these actions and for each and every train that passes the gate.

Strikes the Gate Boom lever

It is 11.45pm and the call from the station master asks the gatekeeper to be ready for 22657 Nagercoil Super Fast to pass through the gate in the next 5 minutes. He pushes the lever that ensures that no one can lift the gate. And then pushes another lock that results no one being able to do anything with the action at the gate till the train passes. 

Once the train passes the Srirangam station, the danger light at the gate turns to orange and it is time for the gatekeeper to head back to the lever to open the gate. 

Abuses from the road users

A gatekeeper receives abuses from the road users. The question that is often thrown at the gatekeeper is the closing of the gate even when the train that is to stop at Srirangam has not even entered the station. The flower and milk vendors are always in a hurry as are the school and college going students. And there are the devotees going to the Singar Koil. Almost all of them are impatient and it is the gatekeeper who  to bear the brunt of their fury.

This is an inter linked system. Only after the closure of the gate will the trains receive the green signal at Valadi (on the north side) and at Ariyamangalam/Town (on the south side).

It is now midnight and the magnetic phone rings again – this time for the Pandyan express towards Chennai Egmore. And the gatekeeper heads back to close the gate. In the next 20 minutes or so, he goes back and forth closing and opening the gate in repeat processes for Ananthapuri, Pearl City and Pothigai Express.

In the decade gone by, there have been times when the gatekeeper has worked non stop for 48 hours at the gate when colleagues have had to take off. As the clock ticks past 1am, the Gateman sees off Silambu Express and then both up and down of Nellai Express (first going towards Tirunelveli and soon after the one coming from Tirunelveli to Chennai Egmore).

Maintaining a record of every passing train

Gatekeepers also records the train number, the time of passing the gate in a note that serves as a daily record. Over 20 trains have passed since he joined duty at 8pm on Wednesday.

Many Challenges

Not many know the severe challenges that gatekeepers face at the gate. Ps in a train throw water bottles from inside the coach. Passengers also throw food packets from the window of the train after they have finished eating and these too have flown towards the gatekeeper. While bio toilets in most trains are now helping, in the past the gatekeepers have had to encounter bad odour when passengers used the toilet while passing through the gate. 

It is now past 2am and time for Pearl City towards Chennai Egmore. The gatekeeper shows no signs of tiredness as he goes back to swing the gate boom lever to close the gate. While there are not many vehicles in sight after midnight, he has to go through the motion every time a train is to pass irrespective of the vehicles on the road. He has to close and open the gate every time. He cannot keep the gate closed once the danger light near the gate has turned to orange. A complaint from even a single road traveller with a photo or video of a closed gate when the signal light is in orange can lead to suspension of the gateman for a few days.

The gatekeeper now awaits the Pandyan Express towards Madurai following which he gets a rest for around 45minutes before the arrival of the next train – Thiru Kural Express.

It has been an 'active-no rest' few hours for the Gatekeeper with trains passing the gate at frequent intervals. But it is a job the gatekeeper has got used to and something he likes. Once in six months, he has to encounter a snake but this too he has got used to. He also has to push away the cattle, goat and horse that make their way on to the railway track. 

There is a certain confidence that gatekeepers need to have. It is quite lonely for he is all alone with his work with no teammates around unlike those working at railway stations but the gatekeeper thoroughly enjoys what he does as a gateman and it keeps his mind sharp for he has to focus on multiple aspects every time a train passes.  

The gatekeeper heads back home at 8am on Thursday after a satisfying 12 hours at the gate for a well earned rest.

With ongoing discussions regarding the construction of a subway or an overbridge, this railway gate may become a part of history sometime in the future but for the moment it's an  experience at this gate that will remain etched in memory.