CHENNAI: What was initially announced by the Southern Railway as a mere 20% reduction in train service — deemed necessary to facilitate the 45-day redevelopment work at Chennai Egmore station — has instead turned into a major planning failure, leaving thousands of passengers stranded, raising serious questions about the competence of the railway authorities.
A section of passengers expressed strong displeasure, saying had the maintenance begun after completing the extension works of the line from Velachery - St Thomas Mount MRTS station, the passengers travelling towards Chennai Beach, Fort, and Chennai Central could have switched to the MRTS network, easing congestion on trains bound for Egmore.
Shailendra Singh, divisional railway manager of Chennai, justified the railways’ decision, stating a few express trains have already been shifted to Tambaram to facilitate the ongoing works, and therefore they want to complete the works at Egmore as early as possible. “The MRTS extension, undertaken by the construction wing, is scheduled for completion only by March,” he added.
The number of train services was initially reduced from 204 to 160, and further cut to just 115 from Tuesday onwards. All major stations including Tambaram, Guindy, Nungambakkam, Egmore, St Thomas Mount, and others witnessed heavy overcrowding.
Trains operating in both directions were packed to capacity, forcing many passengers to leave stations and seek alternative modes of transport. Among them, elderly persons, women, and differently-abled passengers faced difficulty boarding the already overcrowded trains.
According to passengers, the decision to shift suburban train operations from platforms 10 and 11 to platforms 5 and 6 to facilitate upgrades at Egmore initially appeared to be routine maintenance. However, its execution has turned into a nightmare for travellers.
“There appears to be no planning by railway officials. Had such a situation occurred on the Mumbai suburban railway, top officials including the DRM would have faced suspension,” said a transport consultant and regular commuter from Tambaram.
The Beach-Chengalpattu suburban line remains a lifeline of the city’s transport system, as it offers faster connectivity, helps to avoid traffic congestion on GST Road, and serves stations located at key points that provide easy low-fare access to colleges, offices, government departments, and other important destinations.
On Monday, the railways announced the operation of 26 suburban special trains between St Thomas Mount / Chennai Egmore and Guduvanchery / Chengalpattu. The arrangement was intended to provide passengers with the option of switching to Metro services at Guindy or St Thomas Mount to reach Chennai Central, Egmore, Chennai Beach and other stations.
“The services were curtailed to reduce delays in signal clearance, which had been causing a buildup of trains in the Beach-Kodambakkam section,” said an official.
K Gopalakrishnan, a passenger, said, “The railways’ planning is pathetic and unacceptable. It is shocking that the railways did not wait for the linking of Velachery with St Thomas Mount, which would significantly reduce congestion in local trains on the Egmore-Tambaram section.”
Another passenger, S Suren, a daily-wage worker from Chetpet, said, “There was no train for nearly 60 minutes to go to Chengalpattu. The ticket fare is just `10. If I had to choose an auto rickshaw or cab, I would need `300 to `400 to reach Singaperumal Koil.”
ON THE WRONG TRACK
26 shuttle services in Chennai Egmore/St Thomas Mount - Guduvanchery/ Chengalpattu
Railway officials said the services reduced mainly to reduce the halt time of trains for signal clearance in Chetpet - Park station
Passengers demanded to halt the maintenance till linking MRTS from Velachery to St Thomas Mount station
All trains and stations were overcrowded