RailEnquiry

CHENNAI: With train services in the Gummidipoondi-Chennai section deteriorating day by day, commuters, mostly IT professional, private firm employees and students, have suggested steps to ensure trains run on time.More than one lakh people residing in places like Gummidipoondi, Ponneri, Athipattu and Ennore in the northern suburbs take suburban trains daily to reach Chennai Central and Beach stations. Commuters say services in the 42-km section delayed by 20 to 30 minutes. "The trains used to run on time earlier. But not now, and the situation is getting worse every day," said a commuter. "Railways holds up suburban trains in morning and evening and gives priority to express trains to Kolkata and Delhi and other long-distance trains," said M Gunasekharan, a commuter from Athipattu. In a petition to the railway ministry, the Railway Board and Southern Railway, commuters urged the railways to operate suburban trains from platform nos. 1 and 2 of the Chennai Central . "If trains are operated from the Central, there is no need to hold them up for long-distance trains at Basin Bridge," said another commuter.

S Mohanram, member, Divisional Rail User Consultative Committee, Southern Railway, said, "Officials admit that suburban trains maintain only 75% punctuality because of bottlenecks. We have requested for a fourth line from Central to Athipattu and beyond so express trains are not held up."