Tamil Nadu - Chennai   

Snag at level-crossing hits train services

Staff Reporter

HALTED: Trains lined up one behind the other near Pallavaram station on Tuesday morning. — Photo: A. Muralitharan

TAMBARAM : Suburban rail services on the Beach-Tambaram route were thrown out of gear for a half hour on Tuesday morning because of a `technical snag' at a level crossing near Pallavaram railway station.

The problem cropped up at the level crossing near the station (LC No.24) at 10.20 a.m. when gatemen failed to receive the signal to shut the gates. In turn, trains on their way to Tambaram did not get the green signal to proceed. As a result, four electric trains were lined up one behind the other between Tirusulam and Pallavaram stations.

The snag also affected services to Chennai Beach and Chengalpattu as rakes meant for these services could not reach Tambaram. The problem was fixed after the arrival of engineers from Tambaram. Trains left Pallavaram by 11 a.m., according to officials of the Southern Railway.

Officials admitted that technical problems were not uncommon at the two level crossings near Pallavaram railway station, LC No. 25 on Dargah Road and LC No. 24. Mechanical problems also crop up when motorists crash into the gates; sometimes the locks are damaged when youths vault over the gate. Officials said the practice continued despite the application of a thick paste of grease on the gates as a deterrent. The level crossing near Vaishnav Women's College in Chromepet (LC No. 26) too sees frequent problems. Level crossing snags during the morning rush hour leads to chaos.

Members of train passengers' associations in the suburbs said it was an ordeal for commuters stranded in trains. They urged the Southern Railway to address the frequent disruption of traffic because of technical problems.

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