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The ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and its ally, the Congress, have strongly criticised Southern Railway’s decision to cancel over 80 suburban train services on the busy Chennai Beach-Chengalpattu route, which serves hundreds of thousands of passengers daily. The cancellations have been attributed to ongoing redevelopment works at Egmore railway station. However, the sudden withdrawal of services without prior notice has caused significant inconvenience to commuters.
Southern Railway had earlier reduced 40 services – from 204 to around 160 trains per day – on the Chennai Beach-Tambaram and Chennai Beach-Chengalpattu routes. It also changed platform allocations from February 20.
From Tuesday, February 24, an additional 49 electric train services were withdrawn, taking the total number of cancelled services to over 80.
Reacting to the move, DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi said the cancellations on the Chennai Beach-Chengalpattu route, used by lakhs of commuters daily, had caused immense hardship.
In a social media post, she said, “Already 40 trains have been cancelled, and today another 49 suburban trains have been cancelled, subjecting office-goers and students to severe mental distress.”
With Class 12 public examinations set to begin in the coming weeks, she urged Southern Railway to act without delay and resolve the issue.
Congress MP Manickam Tagore also condemned the cancellations, stating that thousands of workers, students and daily commuters had been affected for several consecutive days. He asked Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to explain why services were being repeatedly cancelled, without making alternative arrangements and without prior notice.
The Virudhunagar MP demanded the restoration of the cancelled trains and immediate alternative transport arrangements.
According to a press release issued on Friday, Southern Railway said the redevelopment work involves foundation construction for a foot overbridge and a departure concourse near platforms 10 and 11 – the dedicated suburban lines for these routes – where trains normally run at speeds of up to 55 kmph.
With operations shifted to platforms 5 and 6, trains are currently being operated at a reduced speed of 15 kmph, leading to delays, the release added.
Following the backlash, Southern Railway announced the introduction of 26 temporary shuttle train services from Chennai Egmore and St. Thomas Mount to ease commuter inconvenience.
The delays and irregularities in suburban train services have prompted many passengers to shift to Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL).
Reports suggest that the metro system recorded 3.99 lakh passengers on Friday, compared to the usual 3.6-3.7 lakh.
Metro stations near suburban rail routes also saw a sharp increase in footfall. Chennai Central Metro recorded 37,144 passengers compared to its usual 28,000-30,000; Guindy Metro saw 21,260 passengers against its regular 16,000-17,000; and Chennai International Airport Metro recorded 23,385 passengers, up from the usual 18,000.