Status: Not ApprovedHEAD: 24_Che_VN_Transport Minister statement Byline: Vivek NarayananTamil nadu government accuses southern railway of poor coordination after suburban train service reductionChennai: The Tamil Nadu govt accused the Southern Railway of poor co-ordination and inadequate notice in the wake of commuter distress and chaos triggered by the sudden reduction in suburban electric train services following track and platform renovation works at Chennai Egmore Railway Station.In a statement, minister S S Sivasankar said the railways issued a late announcement on February 19 that renovation works would begin the next day (February 20), without formally informing the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC). Details were shared with MTC only after officials sought clarification via email, he said.While the railways indicated that peak-hour suburban services would run once every 20 minutes instead of the usual 5-minute frequency, commuters reported that trains on the Chennai Beach railway station–Tambaram and Beach–Chengalpattu corridors operated at 30-minute intervals. The reduced schedule is set to remain in force until April 5.“The timing drew criticism as it coincided with annual and semester examinations for school and college students. With March being a crucial exam period, students and office-goers faced difficulty reaching coaching centres, workplaces and exam halls on time,” he said.Anticipating disruption, the State govt deployed 60 special buses in addition to the 314 regular services already operating along the affected corridors. The additional buses are facilitating connectivity between Egmore and key destinations, including the Secretariat, Ezhilagam, Chennai Central railway station, the Govt General Hospital, the High Court and Chennai Beach.Officials said buses were stationed near suburban railway stations to prevent overcrowding and to disperse passengers quickly. However, many rail commuters holding quarterly season tickets reportedly were reluctant to pay additional bus fares, adding to the strain during peak hours.“If Southern Railway conducted prior consultations with MTC, co-ordinated contingency planning could have reduced commuter inconvenience. Chief Minister M K Stalin sought regular updates on the situation and directed officials to ensure that passengers were not inconvenienced,” he said. MSID:: 128756033 413 |
