With State’s decision, residents hopeful of suburban train services resuming

CM has allowed their operation as and when the Centre permits the same

On track: Many have requested the govt. to resume suburban trains.

Residents in the city and its suburbs are eagerly waiting for the Southern Railway to resume suburban train services, in the coming weeks, after the State government on Saturday allowed the operation of train services, as part of its announcement to extend the lockdown till November 30. Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami has allowed the resumption of suburban train services, as and when the Central government decides.

While decision on the operation of suburban and long-distance trains rests with the Railway Board, residents hope the Chief Minister’s request to the Central government for restarting operations of suburban trains speeds up its decision regarding the same.

Southern Railway chief public relations officer B. Guganesan said the Railway Board had not given its go ahead for resumption of suburban train services.

However, sources in the Southern Railway said they were hopeful that a decision to restart the services would be made in the coming week. A timetable was ready, and services could be started in a day, once the order was given, they said.

Thousands of office-goers in the southern and western suburbs have been requesting the State government to take steps to resume suburban train services in the city. Citing the running of suburban train services in Mumbai, without much news about COVID-19 spread due to the same, residents have been demanding that the services, which were already in operation for workmen, be resumed, at least during the peak hours.

Though the State government had allowed bus services to restart across the State, from September 1, residents have been demanding that suburban train services too be permitted, as they are easily accessible and is the most economical transport option for lakhs of commuters.

A. Roy Rozario, an office-bearer of the Railway Passengers’ Association, Pattabhiram, and a retired official of the Southern Railway, said suburban train services were the lifeline for thousands of office-goers and daily wage earners, travelling from places like Arakkonam, Tiruvallur and Thiruninravur to the city, and the absence of the trains was burning a hole in their pockets. He asked what stopped the Southern Railway from allowing people to use the suburban trains, which are being operated for essential workers and government staff, when western and central railways had resumed the operation of electrical multiple unit (EMU) services.