Chennai: The operations of as many as 11 suburban local trains were cancelled and normal train traffic affected due to the derailment of a suburban train heading to Pattabiram from Moore Market Complex at Avadi railway station, on Wednesday.
According to the Southern Railway, second and third coaches from the front of the Moore Market Complex (MMC) to Patta-biram EMU train (43127) derailed at Avadi station at 11.25 pm on Tuesday night. The train was about to leave the station when the incident happened.
The Chennai division railway manager Naveen Gulati and officers rushed to the spot immediately and started restoration works.
One of the railway officials said that the first coach was ‘rerailed’ at 2.20 am and the second coach was ‘rerailed’ at 3.20 am.
Further, restoration of the track was taken up, the official added. The damaged track and one line of overhead equipment (OHE) were repaired and the first train from Tiruvalllur to Moore Market Complex passed Avadi at 9.56 am, according to the Southern Railway press release. After the restoration of OHE on another line, full traffic on both lines have been restored at 12.50 pm, the release added.
No info on alternative train services
At a time when Southern Railway staff were restoring tracks and OHE at Avadi railway stations, passengers waiting for their trains were left with little information about the operations of the alternate trains.
At many railway stations along the route, information about the derailment and subsequent change in train services were not mentioned in the notice boards. “At Tiruvallur railway station, the change in train services was not mentioned. Due to this, many passengers kept waiting for their trains,” K. Baskar, a rail passenger said.
“When contacted the station master, he said that he did not know Tamil or English to write. Staff posted in railway stations should know the regional language,” Baskar added.
In addition to this, railway management also failed to announce the changes in rail services at many railway stations. Due to this, many officegoers and school students started walking along the railway track from Korattur to reach Pattaravakkam, in spite of passenger trains operated on the route.
One of the commuters said that loudspeaker announcement had not made by the railway management about alternate arrangements.
The Southern Railway had fully cancelled as many as 11 trains on the Avadi route owing to the derailment and restoration works, on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, to ensure the convenience of passengers, the zonal railway had operated passenger trains from Moore Market Complex to Tiruttani, Tiruvallur, Avadi and Arakkonam every 30 minutes.
