Title - Signal failures cause misery for commuters

CHENNAI: Frequent disruptions in Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) services – the worst in recent times being on Sunday for over four hours – have been the cause of untold misery for commuters in Chennai in the past week. Though signal failures have been blamed for these disruptions, the railway authorities are yet to put a finger on the real problem. Inquiries in this connection pointed to various factors, ranging from melting and rupturing of copper cables that carry power to the signal poles, to pilferage of the metal (copper), as contributing to the menace. According to sources, copper cables are laid below the surface along the railway track to supply power to the signal poles. These cables are connected with aluminum boxes at which point a portion of the cable comes to the surface. In the event of the cable coming in contact with fire – there are several in