Chennai: As thousands of devotees prepare to head to the Tiruttani Murugan Temple for Aadi Krithigai next week, commuters have urged Southern Railway to run additional direct EMU services, saying the existing suburban trains are overcrowded with daily rail users. Passengers said the festival rush will worsen the congestion on the Chennai Central-Arakkonam corridor.According to railway data, nearly five lakh passengers use the Chennai Central-Arakkonam suburban corridor every day, with office-goers and college students forming the majority. During the Aadi festival season, the daily patronage is estimated to rise to around six lakh, further increasing congestion on one of the busiest suburban corridors.At present, only 32 trains operate between Chennai Central and Tiruttani each day, including 28 EMU suburban services and four express trains. Direct suburban services are available only once an hour, with two trains during peak hours, leaving many devotees unable to board the already crowded trains.Those who miss a direct Tiruttani-bound train often have to travel to Arakkonam and then take a bus to the temple town. However, the bus stand is about 4km from Arakkonam railway station, making the onward journey difficult, particularly for elderly devotees and families travelling with children.T Sadagopan, president of TN Progressive Consumer Welfare Association, said Southern Railway should operate at least two Tiruttani-bound suburban trains every hour during the festival. “If it is difficult to originate additional services from Chennai Central, the railways can start them from Avadi or Tiruvallur, where a majority of devotees board. This will reduce crowding and make the pilgrimage more convenient,” he said.Tiruvallur MP Sasikanth Senthil has also written to Southern Railway seeking special EMU services from Avadi and Tiruvallur to Tiruttani between Aug 5 and 7. In his representation submitted to the Chennai divisional railway manager, he said the proposed special trains between Arakkonam and Tiruttani alone would not adequately serve the large number of devotees travelling from the city.Railway officials said around 10 special MEMU services were operated between Arakkonam and Tiruttani during last year’s Aadi festival. Similar arrangements are being planned this year, with several suburban trains to Arakkonam likely to be extended to Tiruttani.
