CHENNAI: Hundreds of passengers were stranded at the Chennai Central, Tambaram, Perambur, and other stations across Tamil Nadu due to the cancellation of trains over the past two days. The disruption was caused due to waterlogging at the Rayanapadu station in the Vijayawada-Kazipet section of the South Central Railway.
Railway authorities said that a total of 25 trains which were scheduled to arrive at Chennai Central and other stations in Tamil Nadu from Shalimar, Puri, and other areas were cancelled on Monday.
Moreover, over 20 trains heading to Chennai Central, Rameswaram, Nagercoil, and other parts of Tamil Nadu from Sri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra in Jammu and Kashmir, New Delhi, Ahmedabad, and Jaipur, among other stations, were rerouted. These trains skipped regular stops in rain-affected areas and arrived at their destinations almost 2 to 3 hours late.
A 45-year-old passenger from Sriperumbudur in Kancheepuram district, who was employed at a construction company said that after planning to relocate to their native place for several months, he had booked tickets on the Grand Trunk Express for a Monday journey to Faridabad in Haryana. “My wife has already left, but I have been stranded here since Monday morning,” he added.
A section of passengers who had booked tickets to Shalimar, Patna, and other destinations in north and north eastern parts of the country were seen crowding the platforms on the central station and refused to return to their homes.
A spokesperson of the southern railway said, “The South Central Railway (SCR) is unable to receive new trains or provide safe passage for trains that have departed. Once the section is cleared, they will notify us to operate trains on diverted routes. The section is being closely monitored by top officials. We will resume services as soon as the section is cleared, following advice from SCR.”