The heavy rain that lashed the city and suburbs brought road traffic to a grinding halt but the operation of suburban train services on all sections for a good part of the day was a relief to residents.
However, train services between Chennai Beach and Tambaram were hit due to flooding of suburban platforms at Tambaram.
A senior official of the Southern Railway said train services between Chennai Beach and Tambaram were terminated at Pallavaram between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. because platforms 1 to 4 were flooded at Tambaram station. But, train services from Chennai Beach to Chengalpattu and Thirumalpur proceeding via Tambaram were operated with delayed arrival and departure, he added.
S. Murugan, a resident of Civil Aviation Colony, Nanganallur, said it took him more than two hours to reach the Palavanthangal railway station from Chengalpattu because the train was stopped at various points along the route.
The Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) services from Chennai Beach to Velachery and train services to Thiruvallur and Gummidipoondi were operated, but with delays.
As the MRTS is on an elevated stretch for a major portion and the Velachery railway station was not flooded, trains could be operated normally, said a Southern Railway official. Due to flooding of railway tracks on the Tambaram-Villupuram section, the Southern Railway cancelled 31 long-distance trains which were to start from Chennai Egmore. 12, long distance trains were diverted.
Several flights were delayed by the heavy rain.
Airport sources said from early morning on Tuesday, most flights were affected. Several flights from the airport including those of Air India, Jet Airways and IndiGo to various cities including Kochi, Colombo, Delhi, Pune, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Singapore, Kolkata, Port Blair and Kuala Lumpur were delayed.
Also, those flights arriving from Mumbai, Delhi, Abu Dhabi, Pune and Hyderabad landed late.
