CHENNAI: The sudden disruption of suburban train services between Tambaram and Chennai Beach for 40 minutes during rush hour put thousands of rail passengers to hardship on Monday morning.
Around 8 am the motorman of a passenger special train from Kancheepuram to Chennai Beach heard an unusual noise between Tambaram Sanatorium and Pallavaram.
He immediately alerted the station master. Immediately, the motorman of the next train run from Tambaram to Chennai Beach issued speed restriction caution with the instructions to look into the abnormalities.
The alert motorman reported the rail defect. Subsequently, the train services from Tambaram to Beach were suspended from 8.10 am. The Chengalpattu-Beach and Tambaram-Beach local trains were stopped between Tambaram and Singaperumalkoil.
About four trains were cancelled between 8.10 and 8.50 am.
As a result, the platforms at Pallavaram, Chromepet, St Thomas Mount, Guindy, Mambalam and Nungambakkam stations were crowded with passengers from 8.30 am onwards.
Railway workers from Chengalpattu were engaged in track restoration works, which lasted for about 40 minutes. Later, to clear the extra crowd, the cancelled trains operated as special trains between Tambaram and Chennai Beach.
In the wake of the accident at St. Thomas Mount station on July 24, which claimed the lives of five passengers who travelled on the footboard, the Government Railway Police, RPF and railway staff were engaged in crowd management at stations.
When the train services resumed around 9.10 am, the GRP and RPF personnel warned passengers against foot-board travel.
Some passengers were forced by police to get down from the crowded trains. The station managers also repeatedly issued safety warnings to passengers not to travel on footboard.
Kalaiselvi, Inspector, Tambaram GRP, said police posted at the Pallavaram, Chrompet and St. Thomas Mount stations had regulated the passengers in crowded trains.