Suburban train services were crippled on the Chennai Beach-Tambaram sector following a major breakdown in the control room of the power transfer facility at St. Thomas Mount on Sunday.
The overhead electric power transfer for operating suburban trains is located near Kodambakkam while its control room is at St. Thomas Mount. A breakdown in the control room, due to a technical snag, disrupted power supply and brought train services to a halt between 8.10 a.m. and 9.15 a.m on Sunday, a Railway official said.
Electrical engineers of Southern Railway from Egmore and Tambaram rushed to St. Thomas Mount and power supply was restored by 9.15 a.m. However, crowds swelled at railway stations with many passengers left stranded inside the trains.
To clear the crowd, EMUs (Electric Multiple Units) from the car shed in Tambaram were operated on the main line which had power supply. There was one EMU train every 30 minutes.
However, there was some confusion as announcements were not made over the public address system at all railway stations. After noticing the electric trains arriving on the main line, commuters quickly switch sides.
Normal train services resumed only by 10.30 a.m.
