Suburban rail commuters travelling between Tambaram and Chennai Beach say they continue to face unscheduled halts and delays during the morning peak hours, despite the commissioning of the dedicated fourth railway line for fast and express trains between Chennai Egmore and Beach earlier this year.

Passengers from the southern suburbs contend that the ₹274-crore project, which was expected to streamline train operations and reduce travel time, has brought little relief to regular commuters.

Instead, they say, local trains are frequently detained after Chetpet, as fast and air-conditioned EMU services are diverted to the suburban corridor on their way to the Beach station.

Thousands of people travel daily from Chengalpattu and Tambaram to Chennai Beach on regular EMU services that halt at all the stations.

Fast EMU services, which cater largely to office-goers, operate on separate tracks and stop only at select stations such as Chromepet, Guindy, and Mambalam.

Delays persist

Commuters allege that after reaching Chennai Egmore, fast and AC EMU services are routed through the suburban corridor to halt at Chennai Fort station before proceeding to the Beach. This often results in local EMU services being detained between Chetpet and Egmore.

“From Nungambakkam to Egmore, the journey sometimes takes nearly 20 minutes,” Ramya, a college student, said.

“Local trains are often held up between Chetpet and Egmore,” said Jeeva, a daily commuter from Tambaram Sanatorium.

Edwin, another commuter, said the delays frequently force passengers to seek alternative transport. “On several occasions, I had to take an autorickshaw to make up for lost time,” he said.

The fourth-line project, work on which began in September 2023, was commissioned in March this year to segregate suburban, freight, and long-distance train operations. Commuters had expected the new infrastructure to eliminate bottlenecks and improve punctuality.

Fort station bottleneck

Railway sources said the diversion of fast and AC EMU services to the suburban corridor continues because there is no platform on the fourth line at Chennai Fort station.

“Either a platform should be created at Fort station for the fast services or the trains should proceed directly to Beach,” said a flower merchant from Tambaram who travels daily to the city.

A senior railway official acknowledged that fast and AC EMU services must be diverted through the suburban corridor because of the absence of a suitable platform at Fort station. However, he ruled out the possibility of skipping the halt at Fort station, as a large number of government employees use it.

The official said plans to provide additional infrastructure at Fort station had been delayed due to difficulties in acquiring a small parcel of land, required for the project, from the Reserve Bank of India. Once the issue is resolved, operational bottlenecks could be addressed, he added.

The issue is most acute between 8.30 a.m. and 10 a.m., one of the busiest periods for suburban rail travel. While many commuters have shifted to Metro Rail and other modes of transport, EMU services remain the most affordable option for thousands travelling from the southern suburbs to the city.

Commuters say they welcome Railways’ modernisation initiatives, but want issues affecting regular EMU users resolved at the earliest.