No suburban trains on express lines
CHENNAI, JULY 26, 2018 00:00 IST
CHENNAI, JULY 26, 2018 00:00 IST
Accident fallout: Railways says EMUs will be detained till tracks get cleared
Stung by the tragic accident that left four passengers dead and a few others critically injured, the Southern Railway on Wednesday suspended suburban train operations on express lines.
There are two exclusive lines for operating Electrical Multiple Units (EMUs) or suburban trains between Chennai Beach and Tambaram railway stations. In times of exigency such as power failure, EMUs are operated on express lines. The train that met with the accident at St. Thomas Mount railway station on Tuesday had been diverted to an express line after a power failure on the suburban line.
“The express lines on which long-distance trains are operated, pass through stations that have a concrete fencing. In the incident on Tuesday, the victims carrying heavy bags on their shoulders and hanging out from footboards hit the concrete fence. We have now decided not to operate suburban trains on express lines to prevent recurrence of such incidents,” a senior railway official said.
In the event of power failure, obstruction on tracks and run-over cases, suburban trains will be detained till the tracks get cleared for traffic.
The operation of suburban trains between Tambaram and Chengalpet would continue on express lines since there is no exclusive suburban corridor on that stretch.
The official said that more than half of Chennai’s population lives in the suburbs and at least 12 lakh people use suburban trains daily. The Chennai Beach-Tambaram-Chengalpet section sees the heaviest use.
"The stretch between Tambaram and Chengalpet has witnessed enormous growth. While there is heavy demand for increasing the frequency of suburban trains, we are unable to operate more EMUs since they would affect the operation of regular trains. Creating an exclusive two-line corridor for suburban trains between Tambaram and Chengalpet is the only option,” he also said.
Infrastructure constraint
The infrastructure constraint has resulted in the frequency of trains between the two stations dropping to once every 20 minutes during rush hour and once every 40 minutes during non-peak hours. Though the Ministry of Railways has cleared construction of a third line between Tambaram and Chengalpet, it will not serve any purpose unless a fourth line is also in place.
The cost of laying a fourth line would be around Rs. 500 crore. If the Tamil Nadu Government came forward to share the cost with the Railways, the project could be completed in two years. Once the two exclusive lines for suburban trains get commissioned, EMUs originating from Chennai Beach would be operated up to Chengalpet and vice versa.
“This will not only eliminate the issue of overcrowding but make operation of suburban trains safe and effective...we will leave no stone unturned to ensure that the trust is never let down,” the official said.
At least 12 lakh people travel on a daily basis and the Chennai Beach-Tambaram-Chengalpet section sees the heaviest use
Stung by the tragic accident that left four passengers dead and a few others critically injured, the Southern Railway on Wednesday suspended suburban train operations on express lines.
There are two exclusive lines for operating Electrical Multiple Units (EMUs) or suburban trains between Chennai Beach and Tambaram railway stations. In times of exigency such as power failure, EMUs are operated on express lines. The train that met with the accident at St. Thomas Mount railway station on Tuesday had been diverted to an express line after a power failure on the suburban line.
“The express lines on which long-distance trains are operated, pass through stations that have a concrete fencing. In the incident on Tuesday, the victims carrying heavy bags on their shoulders and hanging out from footboards hit the concrete fence. We have now decided not to operate suburban trains on express lines to prevent recurrence of such incidents,” a senior railway official said.
In the event of power failure, obstruction on tracks and run-over cases, suburban trains will be detained till the tracks get cleared for traffic.
The operation of suburban trains between Tambaram and Chengalpet would continue on express lines since there is no exclusive suburban corridor on that stretch.
The official said that more than half of Chennai’s population lives in the suburbs and at least 12 lakh people use suburban trains daily. The Chennai Beach-Tambaram-Chengalpet section sees the heaviest use.
"The stretch between Tambaram and Chengalpet has witnessed enormous growth. While there is heavy demand for increasing the frequency of suburban trains, we are unable to operate more EMUs since they would affect the operation of regular trains. Creating an exclusive two-line corridor for suburban trains between Tambaram and Chengalpet is the only option,” he also said.
Infrastructure constraint
The infrastructure constraint has resulted in the frequency of trains between the two stations dropping to once every 20 minutes during rush hour and once every 40 minutes during non-peak hours. Though the Ministry of Railways has cleared construction of a third line between Tambaram and Chengalpet, it will not serve any purpose unless a fourth line is also in place.
The cost of laying a fourth line would be around Rs. 500 crore. If the Tamil Nadu Government came forward to share the cost with the Railways, the project could be completed in two years. Once the two exclusive lines for suburban trains get commissioned, EMUs originating from Chennai Beach would be operated up to Chengalpet and vice versa.
“This will not only eliminate the issue of overcrowding but make operation of suburban trains safe and effective...we will leave no stone unturned to ensure that the trust is never let down,” the official said.
At least 12 lakh people travel on a daily basis and the Chennai Beach-Tambaram-Chengalpet section sees the heaviest use
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