CHENNAI: Timely communication by railway workers prevented a potential mishap on Tuesday after a truck broke down at the railway crossing at Veppampattu station. A Chennai-bound express was stopped between Veppampattu and Sevvapettai stations and the Tirupati - Chennai Garudadri express was stopped near Putlur soon after the message was relayed.
The incident occurred at 9.05 am when an empty lorry from Vepppampattu godown came to a halt on the railway tracks while crossing gate 13. The Chennai express (Thiruvananthapuram - Chennai) had been given the green signal to proceed through Veppampattu station and had passed Tiruvallur station. When the railway workers noticed the truck on the tracks, they alerted the signal control room, who in turn relayed the information to the loco pilots.
With public and railway workers’ help, the truck was pushed off the tracks, allowing the LC gate to be closed around 9.30 am. The Chennai and Garudadri express trains, and three local trains on Chennai - Tiruvallur section, were delayed by 30 minutes.
Passengers protest
Meanwhile, two local trains were delayed by 45 minutes on the Kancheepuram - Chengalpattu section after a group of passengers picketed the tracks at Kancheepuram station alleging regular delays in the departure of 6.15am Kancheepuram - Chennai Beach local service.
Around 6.30 am, a group of passengers approached the station master’s office, which resulted in an argument over frequent delays.
Meanwhile, another group of passengers got down from the platform and occupied the tracks, demanding scheduled operation of trains. The passengers alleged that the morning service to Chennai Beach was consistently delayed by 30-45 minutes.
GRP and RPF personnel evicted them around 7am and the train departed around 7.05am. Owing to this, the Arakkonam - Chengalpattu passenger train was held up at Tirumalpur for 34 minutes. A case was registered by the Kancheepuram GRP.
A railway official from Chennai railway division said, “The local train departure was delayed due to goods train precedence at Kancheepuram station. The issue will be looked into.”