The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Western, northern suburbs on the wrong side of the tracks?

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Monday, Nov 10, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Western, northern suburbs on the wrong side of the tracks?

K.Lakshmi

Commuters seek trains between south, other parts of the city such as Tiruvallur

CHENNAI: Train travel during rush hour is a daily ordeal for many commuters in western and northern suburbs of Chennai as there are no sufficient train services to match the increasing passenger traffic.

Commuters in the Chennai-Arakkonam section said Chennai Beach- bound trains from Tiruvallur are inadequate, particularly during rush hour.

B.R.Prasad, a resident of Ambattur, said: “After the 8.20 a.m. service from Avadi to Chennai Beach Station, there is a gap of 35 minutes for the next train to arrive. It is invariably delayed and reaches Ambattur station only at 9.10 a.m.,” he said.

After 9.30 a.m., there were no EMU services to Beach station. Commuters hesitate to take trains to Chennai Central Railway Station as they would not reach on time, he added.

B.Ramarathnam, president of Suburban Train Commuters Welfare Association, said it takes nearly 25 minutes to cross the short stretch between Basin Bridge and Central station as the junction is a major bottleneck.

The authorities concerned must increase the number of platforms in the suburban terminal and also introduce more services between 7.30 a.m. and 10.30 a.m. and evening rush hours.

Mismatch

Passengers raised questions about the mismatch between the train services in western suburbs and the Chennai Beach-Tambaram EMU services.

They also demanded connecting trains between south and other parts of the city from the Beach station such as Tiruvallur to Velachery.

K. U. Parthasarathy of Nemilichery said the number of compartments in the trains must be increased to decongest the rush hour passenger traffic.

T.Ravikumar, president of All India Rail and Bus Passengers Association, said unlike their counterparts travelling on Tambaram-Beach service, which is available for every 10 minutes, passengers in Gummidipoondi-Central station section have to wait for one hour.

Commuters also want the proposed Chennai Metro Rail Project to cover Tiruvottiyur in its first phase. E.Ernest Paul of North Chennai People’s Rights Federation said Ennore High Road and Kathivakkam High Road could be used for a project similar to the Mass Rapid Transit System.

Southern Railway officials said the passenger traffic had increased from 4.94 crore in 2006-07 to 5.20 crore in 2007-08 in the Chennai Beach and Gummidipoondi section. Similarly, an additional 50 lakh people have travelled in Central Station- Tiruvallur section in 2007-08 than the previous year.

Two additional railway lines were being provided between the Athipattu and Chennai Beach stations at the cost of Rs.140 crore to facilitate more train traffic.

Similarly, two more lines were being proposed between Tiruvallur and Arakkonam at the cost of Rs.199 crore.

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