Chennai: Thousands stranded after suburban train cancellation

CHENNAI: After 12 electric train services were cancelled due to maintenance work at the Singaperumal Koil station in Chengalpattu, thousands of passengers were left stranded on Thursday morning.

The disruption, which came during peak commuting hours, forced many office-goers, students, and daily wage earners to scramble for bus and alternate transports.

Maintenance was carried out between 9.30 am and 1 pm, affecting services along the busy Chennai-Chengalpattu route. Several Chennai Beach-Chengalpattu services scheduled at 8.31 am, 9 am, 9.31 am, 9.51 am, and 10.56 am were either cancelled or partially operated. The 9.30 am Kancheepuram-Beach train was short-terminated at Chengalpattu.

Trains leaving Chengalpattu at 9.55 am, 10.40 am, 11.00 am, 11.30 am, 12 pm, and 1.10 pm were cancelled entirely. Many commuters heading to and from Singaperumal Koil were unable to reach their destinations on time, resulting in crowding on MTC buses and a surge in demand for autos.

Special trains were introduced only after 10 am on select routes such as Singaperumal Koil-Gummidipoondi and Chengalpattu-Beach. However, these could not ease the pressure during the critical early hours.

Frustrated passengers said such cancellations on working days should be communicated well in advance. “We only found out about the cancellations at the last minute. With no trains, we were running helter-skelter to overcrowded buses or share-autos, which added to the delay and cost,” fumed a commuter from Singaperumal Koil.

Railway officials have not yet responded to concerns about short-notice cancellations or whether such weekday blocks could be avoided in future.