CHENNAI: Thousands of passengers faced much ordeal on Monday as the suburban and express train services in the Tambaram-Chengalpattu section got disrupted for 17 hours after some goods wagons of a train derailed on Sunday night near the Chengalpattu railway station. A large number of workers and officials undertook restoration work on the tracks from around 11 pm on Sunday till 4 pm the next day. The coaches were placed back on the track, and the Chengalpattu-Tambaram fast line was cleared for operation of regular trains around 4.30 pm.
Around 5 am on Monday, the officials began to slow down Chengalpattu-bound local trains from Chennai Beach between Singaperumal Koil and Chengalpattu to facilitate the restoration work. However, as more trains started piling up, the scheduled services from Chengalpattu got affected, leading to a delay of 30 minutes. Hence, the railways short-terminated local trains at Singaperumal Koil and operated return trains to Chennai Beach from there. As a result, passengers who reached the Chengalpattu station were forced to shell out Rs 200 to Rs 300 for cabs or auto-rickshaws in order to reach Singaperumal Koil and board suburban trains.
Consequently, major stations like Egmore, Nungambakkam, Guindy, St. Thomas Mount, Pallavaram, Chrompet, Tambaram, Guduvancheri, and Singaperumalkoil began to get filled with thousands of passengers. Particularly, at St. Thomas Mount and Nungambakkam stations, the trains were jam-packed. A large number of them were seen hanging near compartment doors.
Some express trains bound for Chennai-Egmore from various destinations in Southern Tamil Nadu and Kerala also got delayed for up to 90 minutes. The Chengalpattu-Tambaram section has three lines. S Sivabarathi of Maraimalai Nagar said, “I waited for nearly 50 minutes here to leave for Nungambakkam. But there was no clarity as to whether the trains would run as per schedule. I took a cab to reach Tambaram and from there, I boarded the local train.”
According to an official statement, at 10.17 pm on Sunday, a freight train from Thoothukudi consisting of 38 coaches loaded with iron ore, metal sheets, and iron rods, derailed shortly after departing from Chengalpattu. Nine coaches, five from the middle and four from the rear, fell off the track, causing damage to the railway line. The incident occurred on the fast line between Chengalpattu and Singaperumalkoil stations.
A railway official clarified that no trains were cancelled or rescheduled due to the accident. “However, as a large number of workers were involved in the restoration efforts, local trains were slowed down and later terminated at Singaperumal Koil. Express trains were also rerouted,” said the official. With 260 services, the Chennai Beach-Chengalpattu section carries about 5.5 lakh passengers daily.