Chennai: Four new suburban services on Gummidipundi, Avadi sections
CHENNAI: The Chennai division of Southern Railway has decided to introduce two new trains on the Chennai-Gummidipundi and Chennai-Avadi sections starting March 3. The development comes a few months after TNIE published two articles highlighting inadequate train services and permanent cancellations of services to Chennai suburban areas.
According to the announcement, the new service from Gummidipundi will depart at 9.10am and arrive at Chennai Central at 10.45am. Similarly, a night service will leave Chennai Central at 10.35pm and reach Gummidipundi at 12.40 am. Additionally, a new service to Chennai will depart from Avadi at 5.25am, while a service from Chennai to Avadi will leave Chennai at 11.15am, said a note.
The Chennai railway division, while responding to the complaint regarding cancellation of train services, to S Suresh Babu, president of the Billakuppam Village Welfare Association (Gummidipundi), said, “The new trains have been notified in the suburban timetable for Chennai.”
Babu told TNIE that more than 20 petitions have been submitted in the past 30 months to various officials and elected representatives requesting additional train services. “After the 8.50 am Velachery-bound local train, the next available train to Chennai Central was only at 10am from Gummidipundi.
For a population of nearly 20 lakh, there was no train service for over 70 minutes during rush hours. As a result, commuters resort to footboard travel on buses and trains to reach the city. The new 9.10am local train will benefit thousands of commuters from this region,” he said.
Seven months ago, the railways cancelled 56 local trains connecting Chennai’s suburban areas. Additionally, four more services -- Chennai-Avadi/Pattabiram and Chennai-Gummidipundi -- were discontinued from January 1. As a result, workers and daily commuters have been facing huge difficulties, particularly during nighttime.
Following the timetable revision, after the 9.45pm train to Gummidipundi, the next one was at 11.20pm. “With the introduction of the new 10.35 pm train from Chennai Central, workers finishing their shift after 9pm will benefit greatly,” Babu added.
A railway official from the Chennai division said, “Once safety-related maintenance is completed, we will restore suburban train services where feasible, based on demand.”
New services
Departure times
9.10 am (Gummidipundi – Chennai Central)
10.35 pm (Chennai Central – Gummidipundi)
5.25 am (Avadi – Chennai Central)
11.15 am (Chennai Central – Avadi)