Suburban electric train services in Chennai, a metro city, play a significant role in connecting suburban areas and providing convenient travel options for commuters. Thousands of commuters rely on these services. Typically, the Railway Administration provides advance notice of any service changes. Based on this early information, commuters can make decisions about alternative transportation.
However, on the day before yesterday (Sunday, 1st October), 22 suburban electric train services along the Chennai Beach to Tambaram corridor were abruptly canceled without prior notification, from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. This unexpected disruption caused great inconvenience to passengers and regular commuters. In response, passengers and regular commuters have stressed the importance of the Railway Administration making advance announcements for any service cancellations or disruptions.
In this context, 41 train services in the suburban electric train corridor were canceled yesterday (Monday, 2nd October), from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, marking the second consecutive day of disruptions. Although the Railway Administration had provided information about this disruption the day before yesterday, passengers and regular commuters arrived at stations such as Tambaram, Mambalam, Guindy, and Egmore, only to be turned away. Consequently, they had to seek alternative transportation options, such as Chennai Metro Rail and Chennai Metro Buses.
In light of these circumstances, passengers and regular commuters are urging the Railway Administration to arrange for bus services from the stations. They expressed their concerns as follows:
"When essential suburban train services like Chennai-Tambaram are canceled, additional buses should be organized from the Railway Stations. This would help passengers save time and reach their destinations with minimal delays. Therefore, the Railway Administration must engage in discussions with the Transport Corporation and take the initiative to operate additional buses from various suburban railway stations!"