CHENNAI: All local trains on the Chennai Central–Gudur route will be cancelled between 9.15am and 3.15pm from Feb 27 to March 1 due to engineering work between Kavaraipettai and Ponneri.
The disruption is expected to cause major inconvenience, particularly for North Chennai commuters, with thousands from Ponneri, Minjur and Tondiarpet forced to rely on already overcrowded MTC buses and share autos.
Railways has announced that twelve passenger special trains will be operated to mitigate the impact.
Southern Railway had already suspended suburban train services between Chennai Central and Gummidipoondi on Feby 16, 19, and 21 for the same reason. Unlike partial service cuts on the Beach–Tambaram route, this is a complete shutdown for over six hours during peak working hours, making daily travel difficult, said S Suresh Babu, a civic rights activist.
“We had just welcomed the announcement of two new morning trains at 9.10am and 10.35am to address commuter woes. Now, this cancellation is pushing us back into hardship,” said Babu, who had advocated for the additional services.
Even on regular days, commuters face long gaps between train services. A local train leaves Gummidipoondi for Chennai Central at 8.50 am, but the next one is at 10am, forcing office-goers to switch to Korukkupet and spend extra on autos or share autos just to reach work on time.