CHENNAI: Travel plans of thousands of passengers went for a toss as several train services were cancelled on Sunday in the Chennai-Gudur section due to heavy rains in Andhra Pradesh. Tracks between Nellore and Padugupadu of Vijayawada Division of South Central Railway inundated.
Trains bound to Vijayawada, Howrah, Chandigarh, Nizamuddin, Silchar, Ayodhya, Kacheguda, and New Delhi from Chennai Central and other parts of the State were cancelled, leaving passengers in the lurch. Thousands thronged the Central station on Sunday as the train cancellation was announced in the afternoon.
A worker at a steel unit in Sowcarpet, S Ram Lal, said he had waited at the station since Saturday night for boarding the Navjeevan Express on Sunday. “I am travelling to my native after six months. I will stay here until train service resumes to Ahmedabad.” Similarly, trains from Howrah, Chandigarh, and other stations, that pass through the Gudur-Chennai section were cancelled on Sunday.
The Railways in a statement said trains were not only cancelled for Sunday, but also for Monday and Tuesday due to the cancellation of pairing trains. It said the Chennai-Nizamuddin Duronto Express, Chengalpattu-Kacheguda Express, Chennai-Howrah Coromandel Express, Chennai-Vijayawada Shatabdi Express, Central-Ahmedabad Navjeevan Express, New Delhi-Chennai Grandtrunk Express, and the New Delhi-Chennai Superfast Express for November 22 (Monday) have been cancelled.
Similarly, Hazrat Nizamuddin-Madurai Superfast Express, Hazrat Nizamuddin-Ernakulam Millennium Express, and Yesvantpur-Hatia Superfast Express trains for November 23rd (Tuesday) have also been cancelled. Besides, Chennai-bound long-distance trains from New Delhi, Howrah, Ahmedabad, and several other stations that commenced journey on November 19 and 20 have been diverted via Guntur, Nandyal, Dhone, Gooty, Dharmavaram, Krishnarajapuram, and Jolarpettai. The Railways said ticket holders will get a refund.